The Sorceress and the Knight
by Ember Silverly
Summary: Squall is bespelled by Rinoa into becoming her Knight and leaving Balamb Garden. Its up to Zell, Seifer, and Laguna to find him and bring him back before its too late. Sequel to Mnemosyne. Established Squall/Zell.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

_A/N: First, this is a sequel to my other FF8 story, _Mnemosyne_. The prologue does start with characters introduced in the last story so please, if you're confused, go read that or muddle through until the end of the prologue. As I said in the epilogue of the previous story, I will try to update about once a week but I'm heading back to work, so updates may get a little sporadic. Also, like _Mnemosyne_, this is unbeta-ed. You can feel free to point out errors. I will take dutiful notes for when I go back to edit after finishing this story. Reviews, comments and criticism are always greatly appreciated. _

Prologue

The man slipped into the room easily. The guard outside the door did not notice the man's entrance into the room. Truthfully, the man would have been surprised had the guard taken note.

The room was sparsely furnished with only a bed, wooden table and chair, and a small window to the outside world. The table had a plate of half-eaten food on it. On the bed lay the Fallen Knight.

The man walked over to study the Knight who was trapped in what appeared to be a restless dream. The Knight had been a poor choice for a tool. The man had suspected that from the beginning. His devotion was too absolute and his fervor for protecting the Sorceress had led him in the wrong direction. So much more could have been accomplished. Should have been.

Well, when a tool was broken beyond repair, there was really only thing to do with it.

The man reached down and touched the Knight gently on the shoulder. The Knight woke with a start. When he saw the man in front of him, his grey eyes widened with horror. He opened the his mouth to scream.

The man reached out and placed a finger on the man's lips, silencing him before he could shout and attract attention. "Hush, now, my friend. When I have ever harmed you?" The man's voice was soft. "My apologies for startling you." he removed his hand back to his side.

"What do you want?" the Knight asked. "Have you come to kill her?"

"Kill her? What would be the point? Your Sorceress is safe enough," the man replied. It was true. As long as the Sorceress live and the man knew her location, she still had the potential to be useful.

The Knight relaxed, his fear gone. "What do you want then?"

The man smiled. "Just to tie up a few loose ends." The man reached into pants and pulled out a small revolver. The Knight watched him, wide-eyed. The man handed it to the Knight, keeping hold of his eyes the entire time. "Once I am gone from this room, you will wait one minute, place the gun against your forehead, and pull the trigger." The Knight's grey eyes glazed over and the the man knew he would do as told.

The Knight blinked once the man dropped his gaze and placed the gun beside him, as though he had forgotten about its presence. "What do you want?" he asked.

"The Keys. You no longer need them." The man held out his hand.

The Knight hesitated a moment before reaching under his pillow and removing two key-shaped objects. The man took them from the Knight and studied them. The first was made of a clear amber while the second was of opal. "You did well, Ormis," the man said as he pulled his own key ring from his belt and added the two he had just received to his collection. "Thank you."

Without a backward glance, the man rose and left the room, as calmly and slowly as he had entered it. Once again, the guard outside the door took no notice of his passing. Before the man left the sterile hallway of the hospital a gunshot rang through the corridors.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Thyriss sighed and put the book back on the shelf. At the sound of the book sliding into the shelf, the librarian looked up. Thyriss ignored the girl's narrowed eyes and moved on down the shelf to select another book. The third one on the shelf looked mildly interesting. It might even be useful. Thyriss reached up to pull down _The Healing Arts of the Sorceress_. Gently, Thyriss opened the book. Unlike the last one, _Healing Arts_ was at least legible. Only time would tell if it was actually useful.

Thyriss moved away from the stacks of books to sit at the nearby table. The librarian was still watching her. Thyriss sighed. She could always ignore the child but it wouldn't fix the problem.

Leaving the book on the table, Thyriss stood up and walked over to the circulation desk. She held her hand over the counter towards the librarian. "I'm Thyriss Tonsdan," she said.

The librarian looked at Thyriss' hand for a moment. Thyriss left her hand there and waited for the librarian to respond. When she didn't, Thyriss spoke again. "Usually, child, it's polite to introduce yourself to another person." She smiled with a warm smile.

"You're the Sorceress who..." The librarian trailed off.

"Who destroyed Trabia Garden and nearly destroyed Deling City after making a rather foolish challenge to the remaining two Gardens? Yes, that would be me." Well, that was something of an exaggeration. Truthfully, she hadn't been close to taking over Deling. She had been outsmarted by an enemy she hadn't even realized she had.

The librarian paled. "Why are you here?"

Thyriss dropped her hand and looked behind her. "Well, I seem to have found myself in a library. What do you suggest I do?"

"Why is President Laguna allowing you to use _this_ library?"

"The public library attached to the Presidential Residence? Perhaps because the President wishes me watched. Or maybe it's because his daughter enjoys my company. But the most logical reason I can think of is that this is the nearest library." Thyriss kept her voice gentle and her tone amused. The last thing she wanted was the librarian to call the guards. The last time had taken up entire afternoon of Laguna's time.

"I- that's not what I ...meant..." The librarian stammered.

Thyriss was about to respond when a sudden _ripping_ sensation gripped her. It was as though a hot searing band of metal was searing her insides. Thyriss dropped to her knees, gasping. The burning pain receded quickly only to be replaced by an overwhelming nausea. The contents of Thyriss stomach emptied themselves on the floor near her feet but the only thing Thyriss could think of was her Knight.

Then strong arms were pulling Thyriss to her feet as guards took possession of her. Thyriss allowed herself to be led, not sure where she was going. Ormis was gone. She didn't know how she knew or why he was gone or how it had happened but she knew he was and that was all she could think about that she would never see her Knight again and …

"Thyriss?" Ellone's voice caught the attention of the Sorceress.

Thyriss was standing in Laguna's sitting room. Ellone looked more than a little concerned. She took hold of Thyriss arms and said something to the guards that was lost in the _emptiness_ filling Thyriss. Ellone led Thyriss to the bathroom where she wet a paper towel to clean the older woman's face.

"Thyriss, what happened?" Ellone asked.

Thyriss shook her head. Words didn't seem to want form correctly. How could she explain... "Ormis...he..." grief overwhelm Thyriss and collapsed against Ellone, sobbing.

"Elle? You in here?" Thyriss was dimly aware of Laguna's voice through the open door to the bathroom. "Do you know where Thyriss is we need to find her..."

"She's in here, Uncle Laguna," Ellone said. Thyriss was guided to the couch, still sobbing. "I take it something happened to Sedra?"

"He's dead," Laguna said.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"What do you mean, he's dead?" Squall asked his father over the tele-conferencer in his office. He was sitting at his desk where he had answered his father's rather urgent communication request.

"Ormis Sedra is dead," Laguna repeated.

"I thought you guys were watching him?" Zell asked from where he was perched on Squall's desk. "What happened?"

"We're still working that out," Laguna said. "Do you mind calling Almassy up to your office for me? I want to ask him a couple of questions."

Squall turned on the intercom. "Seifer Almassy to the Commander's office please," he said over. He repeated the message once.

"Seifer didn't do shit," Zell said. "He's been here in Balamb the whole time."

"I'm not accusing him of anything, Zell," Laguna said.

"Then what do you want him for?" Squall asked.

The door to Squall's office opened and Seifer let himself in. "What's up?" he asked. After seeing that Squall was in a conference call, he amended his attitude to include a salute.

"Operative Almassy, I have a question, if you don't mind answering," Laguna said.

Seifer gave the tele-conferencer a rather skeptical look. He glanced at Squall who nodded. "Tell him anything he wants," Squall said.

"Sure, what's up?"

"When Sorceress Edea died, how did you feel?"

"The hell kinda question is that?" Zell asked. Squall felt him tense a little.

Seifer's face went blank. Squall kept his eyes on the screen but watched Seifer out of the corner of his eye. As far as Squall knew, Seifer hadn't really discussed what happened that day with anyone. Not even Quistis. "Why?" he asked. His voice was low.

"I'm curious."

"Laguna, curiosity isn't enough to..." Squall started.

"Its fine, Squall," Seifer said. "I felt her die. It wasn't just that I saw Ormis cut her, I _felt_ her die. Inside." Seifer pointed to his chest. "I don't think I'll ever forget that." His voice had a rough edge to it that Squall didn't like. The man had been to counseling under orders after Edea's death. Perhaps he should undergo another round.

"Thank you, Almassy," Laguna said. He turned to face Squall again. "That's exactly what happened to Thyriss. Ellone suspects that the bond between Sorceress and Knight is more than just a romantic story. That's it's real, created and maintained by the Sorceress' magic."

"Huh. So...what does that mean?" Zell asked. "Why is it important to know now?"

"It might shed a clue on Ormis' death," Squall responded.

"Ormis is dead?" Seifer asked.

Squall nodded. "Sorry you didn't get the chance to do it yourself," Zell added. "I know you wanted to."

Seifer rolled his eyes. "I don't need _your_ sympathy, chicken."

Squall placed a hand on Zell's leg to cut off his response before this got out of hand. "Keep me informed about the investigation, Laguna." He waited for Laguna's nod before breaking off the call.

"Anything else, Squall?" Seifer asked. He fidgeted in place. Squall definitely needed to tell the Garden psychologist to drop in for a visit. Squall wrote himself a note as a reminder.

"You're dismissed, Seifer," Squall said. He looked over at the red-head. "What were you in the middle of?" he asked.

"Training some new recruits on how to use the gunblade."

"I'll do that. You take the day off."

Seifer looked like he was about to argue but he changed his mind and left abruptly.

"Quistis is filling in for Instructor Phelps, right?" Squall asked Zell.

"Yeah. Want me to run and take her place?" Zell asked.

"Please." Squall stood up from his desk. Zell jumped to his feet. "Sure thing." Zell reached out and tugged Squall in for a quick kiss before bouncing out of the office.

Squall followed more slowly, still a little concerned about Sedra's sudden death. He had the feeling that it was the start of something a little larger than it seemed.


	2. Chapter 1 The Fire Cavern

Chapter 1- The Fire Cavern

Rinoa took a deep breath. She could do this. This was what she desperately wanted. She had tools and the knowledge now. Nothing could stop her. Not even...

Rinoa stepped into Balamb Garden's entrance before she could become any more unnerved. Once she passed through the gates, she was assaulted the tinkling sound of water, the hum of machinery, and the warmth of Balamb's heaters. It was certainly more pleasant than the biting cold she had just come from.

The gatekeeper was dozing at his post so Rinoa passed through without challenge. She giggled a little to herself. If Squall had seen that he would have the man's head. Rinoa walked into the Garden's main hallway. Several younger students were walking on their way to one errand or another. They moved as a group and were quickly gone from Rinoa's view.

Rinoa pulled her black shirt down and fiddled with the edges. It was entirely possible that Squall wasn't even in. If he wasn't, she would lose her nerve and that would be that. Rinoa knew she couldn't bring herself to try this twice.

Of course, he might be in and with Zell. She would have to do some quick thinking to separate them. Fortunately, she had a plan for that eventuality. Hopefully.

Rinoa stepped up pass the directory and mounted the stairs to the elevator. She pressed the button and waited for the lift to descend.

The sound of laughter behind Rinoa caused her to look behind to see a large group of older students appear around the corner. They were laughing and carrying on rather loudly. At least they were until Quistis appeared from the other direction. The students immediately stopped their giggling, straightened themselves up and walked swiftly through the hallways.

Quistis smiled as she mounted the steps to the elevator. The elevator doors opened and Rinoa stepped inside. Quistis followed her.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Rinoa," Quistis said. Her hair was pulled up in a bun and she was wearing her official uniform.

"I need to see Squall."

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "And you thought you could just...walk in?" The elevator doors closed and Quistis turned her attention to the button panel. She punched in the number for the third floor, followed by several numbers in rapid succession that Rinoa couldn't remember. She thought it started with a five. "However did you expect to manage the code?"

Rinoa blushed. "I hadn't thought of that. There wasn't a code before." Actually, Rinoa had a plan for that as well. Quistis had just prevented her from having to use it.

"I see. You're lucky Squall is in today. He was just on vacation."

"Vacation?" The elevator started its ascent causing Rinoa's stomach to flipflop. Or maybe it was her conversation.

"He and Zell went to Winhill for a week. Laguna and Ellone joined them."

Rinoa didn't say anything to that. There was really nothing to say. She was glad things were working out with Squall and Zell. Truthfully.

Quistis glanced at her. "Oh, sorry. I bet you don't want to hear about that." There a sharp edge to Quistis' voice that Rinoa wasn't used to hearing from the teacher. "What did you need to see Squall about?"

Rinoa looked at the floor. "I need to ask his help for something." The door to the elevator opened into the short hallway to the Commander's office. Quistis stepped out, followed by Rinoa.

"Well, hopefully he'll be able to take care of you." Quistis walked ahead of Rinoa to the double doors and knocked sharply once.

Of course Squall would take care of her. She was here to ensure that. Rinoa followed behind Quistis and entered the office at Squall's voice.

Squall was unchanged in the three years since Rinoa had seen him. If anything, he had filled out just a little.

"You have the reports for me, Quistis?" Squall asked. He gave Rinoa a puzzled glance.

"Here." Quistis handed Squall the stack of folders she had been carrying. "Nothing exciting to report, I'm afraid."

"What about the candidates for the field test?"

"Selected and in the bottom report. Xu and I are waiting for an appropriate mission."

Squall nodded and pulled out the bottom folder. "Zell was wondering about Scheer."

Quistis chuckled. "She passed the written exam all right. I imagine she'll be fine with the field mission as well. Anything else?"

Squall shook his head. "Not right now."

Quistis gave her commander a salute and passed Rinoa on her way to the exit.

Rinoa's heart skipped a little at the sound of the office door shutting.

"Well, Rinoa? What can I do for you?" Squall kept his attention focused on the reports in front of him, not meeting Rinoa's eyes. That wouldn't do at all.

Rinoa walked over to the wall of Squall's office and studied it. There was a painting of Cid and Edea that looked new since the last time she had been here. "I wanted your help with something," she said. She looked back over her shoulder to see Squall's response.

Squall continued to keep his attention focused on the work in front of him. "With what?"

So, he was going to be difficult? She could be difficult as well. Rinoa turned around and walked over to Squall's desk. She pulled the folders out of Squall's hands and sat on the desk, well within Squall's personal space.

"Rinoa. I don't have time for games and whatever it is you think you're doing." Squall's voice was at its flattest. The tone he used when he was annoyed. But at least he was looking at her now.

Rinoa set the papers down beside her and put a hand to Squall's cheek, making eye contact. He did have lovely blue eyes. "Squall, you do have time to help me," she said. She summoned up a bit of magic, a tendril of binding that would link Squall to her. "In fact, you'll soon have nothing better to do." She leaned in and kissed him, forcing his mouth open with hers, staring into his eyes all the while. As she did so, she released the tendril of magic. With a sigh of pleasure, she pulled back. Kissing Squall had always been fun. Squall's eyes were vague and fogged over, as though he was not quite there. In the back of her mind, Rinoa could feel Squall. She knew she could use that piece to influence him. "Now. Why don't you come with me on a quest. We have some magic artefacts to find."

"Yes, Sorceress," Squall replied.

Rinoa smiled.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Zell stretched behind his desk in the classroom as soon as the last student left through the door. Teaching really wasn't his strong point. If Quistis hadn't needed this course covered so bad he would be out on a mission right now.

Then again, if he had taken that mission that had crossed Squall's desk two weeks ago instead of this class, he would have missed the vacation. All said, it wasn't a bad trade off. Three months of being stuck in a classroom for a week uninterrupted with Squall? Hell, yeah, that was an easy choice.

Zell leaned back in his chair. He had to look over the regular teacher's lesson plans before class tomorrow but it couldn't be that hard. Hell, it was the basics of using para-magic and the class was a group of students ten to twelve years old. How hard could this be?

The door to his classroom opened and Squall entered the room. Zell sat up. Squall should still be doing catch-up work in his office. "What's up, baby?" Zell asked. Then he saw. Behind him came Rinoa. "Hey, Rin."

"Rinoa needs me to go with her on quick mission," Squall said. "I should be back soon."

Zell frowned. He stood up. "Yeah? Where to?"

Squall looked back at Rinoa and Zell felt a twinge in his gut. Squall usually knew mission parameters before he took one. His job was behind the desk these days.

"I need something from the Fire Cavern," Rinoa said.

"We should be back in time for dinner," Squall added.

Zell stood up and moved from behind his desk. His hackles were up because it was Rinoa asking. If it had been Quistis or Seifer with him, Zell would be fine with it. "Want company?" he asked.

"Sure," Squall said.

Rinoa shook her head. "Can't. Top secret for Galbadia. My father sent me."

Squall frowned at her. "You didn't mention that."

"Then why tell Squall?" Zell asked.

"I told Squall because I had to," Rinoa said. "I wasn't walking in there by myself. Squall can protect me." Zell ignored the fact that she practically beamed at Squall.

"Right. Well, now I know. So can I come?" Zell glared. Maybe he wasn't ignoring her obvious intentions so well. But damn it, Squall was _his_. He'd waited long enough.

"Sorry, Zell. If Rinoa says no, then its no. It is her mission after all." Squall did seem apologetic but Zell knew his lover well enough to know that he wouldn't be swayed. The client did have certain privileges, after all. Even if the client was the ex-girlfriend.

"Fine. Enjoy." Zell hoped his bitterness didn't show too much.

Apparently it did. Squall turned to look at Rinoa. "Can you give us a minute, please?" he asked.

Rinoa looked a little startled at the question but nodded. She left the room.

"Look, Zell, I know you're unhappy about this." Squall pulled Zell close and kissed him.

Zell returned the kiss, opening his mouth to invite more. Several moments later, Zell pulled back enough to rest his head on Squall's shoulder. "Its cool, Squall. I get it." It was fine, actually. Zell could grow up and handle his jealousy like an adult.

"No, its not. This was...unexpected," Squall said. He pulled back to look at Zell. "In fact, I'm not even sure..." He blinked and shook his head. "I don't even know what exactly we're looking for. She didn't explain much."

"If you don't want, don't go. She can take another SeeD."

Squall shook his head. "I...have to." He looked puzzled. The expression faded and he turned his attention back to Zell.

"Sure. You have to go off with your ex-girlfriend on a top-secret mission that you didn't ask questions about?" Zell was trying really hard not to sound bitter. It wasn't like he could have pulled this shit with Squall. Then again, it was exactly this sort of bullshit that had caused Rinoa to lose Squall in the first place. "Nevermind," he said quickly. "Don't answer that. I'm just being jealous. I'll get over it."

Squall leaned over to kiss him again harder than last time. Zell responded eagerly. Eventually, he pulled away. If they continued any longer the next group of student to enter the classroom would get more than an eyeful of their Commander. And Xu would give him the lecture of a lifetime. "All right. Enough, I get it," Zell said.

Squall pressed his forehead to Zell's. "I'll be back this evening. We'll do something for dinner."

Hyne, Squall was really trying with this, wasn't he? Zell nodded, his insides feeling shaky. Maybe he should pull the jealousy card more often. "We're cool," Zell said.

Squall smiled, an honest and open smile. "I love you, Zell." He planted another kiss on Zell's lips before leaving the room.

Zell stared after the door. He could count on one hand the amount of times Squall had actually said those three words to him. Suddenly, Zell sprinted to the door and threw it open. "Love you, too!" he called down the hallway to Squall and Rinoa's back. Behind him, several students started giggling madly. Zell rounded on them and sent them scurrying off to class with a rather robust scolding.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Squall felt a little fuzzy as he and Rinoa entered the Fire Cavern. Rinoa had been suspiciously silent during the entire trip and Squall had the feeling she was mad at him.

A part of him was concerned about her anger. Another part wondered why he cared.

"What are we here for again?" Squall asked.

"There's something I need. I can only get it with your help." Rinoa entered the dim cave without looking back at Squall.

Squall followed after her, his gunblade ready. "You're more than capable of handling anything in here," he said. "This is where we train recruits."

"And where you picked up Ifrit, right?" Rinoa asked. "Can you show me?" She turned to face Squall. "Besides, I need you to help reach what's in here."

Squall shrugged and took point. It really didn't matter why she needed him, as long as he was back in time for dinner with Zell. Something had set the blond off today and it wasn't just

Rinoa's presence. Zell was usually pretty chill with the black-haired Sorceress.

The Fire Cavern was quiet. Most of the monsters would stay away from two well-armed people. They were attacked by a bomb once but a quick blizzard spell from Squall and a much stronger one from Rinoa took care of it within moments. After that they encountered nothing else.

"Here." Squall pointed to the pit that marked Ifrit's former home. Perhaps the spirit was still there. Squall didn't know and truthfully, he didn't care.

Rinoa nodded and stepped up to the edge. She looked at Squall. "I need your hand." Squall held it out. Rinoa frowned. "Without the glove, I think." Squall pulled off the glove and extended his hand again. "Where's Griever?"

"Zell has it."

"Oh." Rinoa took his hand. "I'm going to work a series of spells. All I need you to do is allow the magic to pass through you."

Squall nodded. A moment later he felt something warm rising within him. It felt as though he had drank hot chocolate or eaten hot soup after being out in the cold, only starting at his feet and rising through him. It was almost euphoric. Was this what Rinoa felt when she did magic?

In front of him, the ground within the pit rose. A ruby-red ball atop a pedestal slowly ascended to even out with the floor. Once it was level, Rinoa spoke again. Her voice sounded far away. "Take the Key from it," she said. "Call it to your hand." She held their hands out towards the ball. Squall did as he was told. The warmth left his body through his fingertips. A moment later, a key-shaped object emerged from the Orb. It flew across the distance to land in Squall and Rinoa's hand.

Rinoa dropped his hand and took the key from it. She studied it. It appeared to be made of Ruby. With a smile, she handed it Squall. "This is for you, my Knight." Rinoa caught his eye as she handed over the key.

Her Knight? What the hell did that mean? He hadn't agreed to that.

"Take the key, Squall Leonhart," Rinoa said, her brown eyes staring down into him.

Squall reached out to take the key. "Yes, Sorceress," he said.

Rinoa smiled, the tension seeming to fade out of her. "Good. For a second there, I was afraid the spell didn't take," she said. "Come on, Squall, we need to get to the train before the last one leaves for tonight. I want to get to Timber by tomorrow." Rinoa turned and started the walk out of the Fire Cavern.

Squall followed after her, placing the key in his pocket. He had the feeling that he had forgotten something rather important.


	3. Chapter 2 Missing

_A/N: Not much to say about this chapter. Enjoy! Please let me know how you liked it (or if you hated it)._

Chapter 2- Missing

Zell woke from his doze on the couch at the knock on his door. He sat up slowly. He glanced at the clock. It was almost three in the morning. Where the hell was Squall?

"C'm'in," Zell called. His sounded rough, even to his own ears. His back hurt from the couch. And he was _hungry_. He stretched

The door opened and Xu walked in. Her eyes swept over the room before she looked at Zell. "Where's Squall?" she asked.

Zell blinked. It took a moment to parse the question correctly. "Ummm...what do you mean?" Squall was at the Fire Caverns with Rinoa. Although they should have been back hours ago. "With Rinoa...?"

Xu shook her head. "I had no idea Rinoa was even here."

Zell felt a pit open in the bottom of his stomach that had nothing to do with his hunger. "She came and needed Squall for something in the Fire Caverns." He watched Xu closely.

"He didn't tell me about this."

Zell's skin suddenly felt clammy. Squall go off on a mission with his Sorceress ex-girlfriend unannounced. Yeah, sure, could happen. Squall go off and not tell Xu that she was in charge. Never in a million years. Zell's throat was dry and his stomach no longer wanted any food.

Zell stood up. He ignored the dizziness that came from sitting too long in odd positions. "He said he was going to the Fire Caverns. I'll go check there." He started to move past Xu who put a hand out.

"Stop right there, Dincht," she said with the fully authority of one who is very used to command. "You will come up to the office with me and we'll send a group to investigate."

"Fuck that. I'm leaving now."

"You leave and I'm putting you on suspension." Xu blocked Zell's exit from the doorway. "And you try explaining to Squall that you failed to follow the orders of a superior officer because you were concerned about him."

Zell cursed and punched the wall.

"Besides, Zell," Xu said, her voice losing its hard edge. "You know we'll all be more efficient if we take a few moments to form a plan."

"Fuck it. You're right." Zell hung his head in defeat.

"Good. Let's not waste more time with this stupidity then." Xu turned and left the room. Zell followed.

The hallways were absolutely deserted. Even the most die-hard students were in bed instead of the training center right about now. Zell could clearly hear the music of the water fountains over his footsteps, a rarity in Balamb.

The silence only made him more agitated. He knew he shouldn't have let Squall go off alone with Rinoa. Then again, perhaps he wasn't missing. How the hell would Rinoa have kidnapped him anyway? Its not like she had the ability to …

She was a Sorceress. Of course she had the ability to kidnap Squall. Just remember what Edea did to Seifer.

"What did Rinoa want Squall to do?" Xu asked. They came around to the entrance to Balamb Garden and mounted the stairs to the elevator.

"Go with him to the Fire Caverns."

"What for?" The elevator swished open. Both Xu and Zell stepped inside.

"Squall didn't know. He said he'd back by dinner."

Xu frowned. "Squall didn't know? And he went with her? And you allowed it?"

The elevator started its ascent but Zell's stomach dropped to his feet. And not just from the change in elevation. "Yeah, it was stupid. I thought something was wrong but..."

"But you thought you were mistaking your feelings for jealousy?" Xu asked. She sighed. "I've been there. I understand."

The elevator opened and they walked into the Commander's Office. Xu immediately went to Squall's desk and pressed the intercom. "I need Trepe, Almassy, and Adler up here ASAP." She turned to Zell. "I think you should stay here."

Zell opened his mouth argue. He wanted to go find Squall and drag him back here, against his will if that turned out to be the case. Then he wanted to find Rinoa and give her...

"Right. I'll stay. But I'm staying _here_." Zell placed himself in a chair at the conference table.

Xu nodded. The door to the office opened. Seifer and Quistis walked in. Both of them looked as though they had dressed rather quickly. Quistis didn't even have her hair up and Seifer's shirt was fastened incorrectly.

"I hope this is important, Xu," Quistis said. She frowned at Zell. "Where's Squall?"

"That's why it's important," Zell answered. "He left with Rinoa this morning and never came back."

"The hell was she doing here?" Seifer asked.

Quistis' eyes widened. "I let her in this morning."

"You _let_ her in?" Zell jumped out of his seat towards Quistis. Seifer moved in front of her and pushed Zell back down in the chair. Zell landed with a thwump that nearly broke the chair.

"Easy there, Chickenwuss," Seifer said. "Save your fists for Rinoa, not Quistis."

"Zell," Xu said with a warning tone to her voice. "I can still suspend you."

Zell was saved from having to respond by Radomil Adler's entrance to the room. "What's up? I miss something important?"

"Here's your mission," Xu said. "The three of you will head down to the Fire Caverns and locate Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly. They are to be returned here by whatever means necessary."

The three operatives heading to the Fire Caves saluted. "Wait, the Commander's missing?" Radomil asked. "No wonder you woke me up in the middle of the night."

"Not like you were busy, Rad," Xu said.

Zell wanted to snarl at them to cut the chitchat and get looking but he held his tongue. Barely.

Eventually the trio headed out and all that was left was to wait. Once there was nothing to do Zell's hunger came back with a vengeance. It felt silly that while his lover was missing, he would be worried about food. Xu was examining the papers on Squall's desk. Zell stood up from the seat. "I'm heading down to the cafeteria to grab a bite. Want anything?" He could be civil.

"If they have something," Xu said. "I usually get hungry during all-nighters."

Zell nodded and left in search of food. At least it would pass the time. Even though he knew there was no way the trio could be back yet, he half-expected them to see them coming in the entrance to the Garden with Squall.

Of course, he didn't have that sort of luck.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Rinoa leaned back in the seat, letting the motion of the train lull her to sleep. Squall's head was resting in her lap. She idly stroked her fingers through his hair.

Something was wrong with the Bonding Spell she had used. Rinoa wasn't sure what exactly. It seemed to work for a time but...

The spell had faded once again when Rinoa had tried to take him on the train. She had been quicker this time to re-apply it. Once they had been settled in the SeeD only car, Rinoa had thrown a sleep spell at Squall with as much force as she could muster. He would be out cold for several hours. Hopefully, he would be awake once they reached Timber. She would need Squall awake to walk through the train. No way she was carrying him. Also, it would be nice to have his authorization for the private cabin.

The door to the cabin opened. Rinoa's head shot up and she reached for a spell that would knock the intruder flat. She was only half surprised when it fled from her mental grasp before she could formulate the words properly.

"I see you've caught your Knight." The man was blond and tall. He leaned against the wall near the entrance to the cabin.

Rinoa knew better than to ask him how he had entered the cabin. The man only shared the information that he wanted to and nothing else. She smiled down at Squall, her fingers still twined in his hair. "It seems I did."

"You're stupid, though." The man said it casually, like he was commenting on the weather.

Rinoa's hand clenched in Squall's hair. "Why do you say that?" She kept her voice calm.

"Because your spell isn't working. Is it?"

"How did you know?"

"I saw you outside the train station."

"You're watching me?"

"Only this once. I needed to make sure you would actually go through with the plan. I have other things to look after now that you have the first Key."

"Do you want it?" The Key was in Squall's pocket. She had another idea for it but if the man wanted the Keys as she collected them, then that was his right. Although it would make their task more difficult.

The man shook his head. "That would rather defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? I'll let you know when I want them."

Rinoa knew the man wasn't going to tell her why the spell wasn't working. He wanted her to ask. Every time she asked, she put herself further in his debt. He had given her so much already, she didn't want to think about the price he would extract for this bit of knowledge. Then again... "You said I could have Squall. In exchange for the Keys." Her stomach started fluttering.

The man nodded. "I promised you a Knight, which you have." He waved in Squall's general direction.

"I don't. The spell will fade again. Why?" Rinoa hoped her voice was less shaky than it sounded to her ears.

The man laughed, doubling over with the effort he exerted. It was a loud and joyous sound, like a proud grandfather seeing his young grandson's delight with the gifts he was just given. "You're trying to get out of another bargain!"

Rinoa felt heat burn in her cheeks. In her lap stirred a little, as though in restless dream. Rinoa instantly relaxed her grip on his hair. She bent her head and brushed the hair back from his forehead. He really was beautiful.

The man straightened up and wiped a tear from his eye. "You are right, my dear, sweet, Rinoa. You do not have Squall. And you never will."

"But you said the Bonding Spell would work..."

"I said nothing of the sort, dear girl," the man said, cutting her off. "I told you that I had a way to give you a Knight. I left the selection of that Knight up to you."

"And I picked Squall."

"Which is why you're stupid." The man smiled. "You don't have to bargain, with me, Rinoa. Once you collect the last ten," he glanced at Squall, "Nine rather, Keys, you'll be free to go. You need a working Knight in order to collect them, so therefore it's in my best interest to help you keep this one."

Rinoa nodded. "So what went wrong?"

"The Bonding Spell forces a relationship between the Knight and Sorceress. You know this, correct?" The man assumed the lecturing tone that he often used to teach Rinoa information that was unclear in the books he had given- lent - her. "Your mistake was in assuming that the spell would override previous relationships. When you designed the spell for Leonhart here, you wanted him for a lover, a romantic partner and that is what the Bonding is attempting to give you."

"But I didn't take Zell into account." Rinoa's voice was a whisper. Fuck. This would ruin everything. There had to be a way around it.

"Correct. Unfortunately, you can't just Bind a new Knight while this one is alive."

Rinoa sat up straighter. "I'm NOT killing Squall." Her hand clenched in Squall's hair again.

"Well, there went the easiest solution to your problem."

"I could kill Zell." Rinoa knew her doubt showed itself in her voice. She didn't necessarily want to hurt Zell. Hell, he hadn't even technically stolen Squall from her; that was her own stupid fault. Just like this was. He didn't deserve to die for it.

"That wouldn't solve your problem. Leonhart would still be in love. Now, if you had Bonded him as a sisterly figure or a maternal one..."

Rinoa felt a little sick at the thought. "Squall has a sister."

"But a man can have many sisters. Even a second mother isn't impossible. But lover is more difficult." The man pursed his lips and stared blankly at the wall across the small room.

He didn't know either. The thought shocked Rinoa. It wasn't often that her mentor did not have the answers she needed. This was an unexpected situation for him as well.

Rinoa sat back again, unclenched her hand and resumed petting Squall's hair. Even if it all fell apart on her, this, here and now, was worth it.

"Well, what's done is done," the man said. He pushed himself away from the wall in a graceful movement. "For now, keep re-applying the spell as needed. At the moment, dear, sweet, Rinoa, I need to depart. You won't see me again until after you've liberated the next Key." The man left through the door and it closed behind him with a gentle swish.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Thyriss yawned and combed her fingers through her messy hair. The great part about its shortened length was that it looked almost presentable in spite of it being closer to six in the morning than she was usually awake. She opened the door. "What is it?" she asked.

Ellone was still dressed in her long nightgown, her brown hair sleep-ruffled. "Uncle Laguna wants us both in the Conference Room." Her brows were creased and her eyes worried.

Thyriss woke up a little. "Let me grab something something a little more..."

"Now, Thyriss," Ellone said. "Please."

Thyriss sighed. "All right," she said, stepping outside of the room. Before the door even fully clothed, Ellone started walking toward the Conference Room. Fortunately, the working hours at the Residence didn't start until later in the day so there were fewer people about. Not to say the halls were deserted, they never were, it was just less crowded than during peak business hours. "Did something happen?" Thyriss asked. She tugged her yellow tank top down to cover her midriff as she scurried to catch up to Ellone. The carpet was nice against her bare feet.

"Squall's missing," Ellone said. "Xu just called in from Balamb Garden."

"So, why does Laguna want me?"

"Because Rinoa has him."

They entered the Conference Room, a large round room dominated by a table in the center. Over the table was the state-of-the-art teleconferencing device used by Esthar and the Gardens. Laguan was sitting at the table along with Kiros. Thyriss recognized the second-in-command of Balamb Garden on the teleconfrencer along with Squall's lover.

"...going to find him and I don't give a damn if you suspend me," the blond man was saying. Thyriss believed his name was Zell.

Ellone walked to sit next to her 'father', placing a hand on his arm. Thyriss walked to sit on the other side of Kiros.

Xu, Leonhart's second in command looked frustrated. "You're too emotionally invested..."

"Fuck that! I'm not letting that bitch..."

Zell was cut off as another female voice out of the teleconferencer's camera range spoke up. "He should go, Xu. Seifer and I will keep an eye on him. Three is better than two." Thyriss recognized the voice. Quistis. The double-crossing bitch who had...

No, that was wrong. Seifer and Edea had both been against her from the start. And rightly so.

"I agree with Quistis," Laguna said, speaking up. "Three is better than two." He looked at Thyriss. "I was hoping that you would agree to help us look for Squall. You're a Sorceress yourself..."

"I'm a Sorceress to, Uncle," Ellone said. "I said I could go..."

"I wasn't aware that you had studied offensive magic while here, Ellone," Xu said. "In fact, I was under the impression you hadn't learned very much about your powers at all."

"I was in classes with SeeD..."

"Which isn't the same thing, Ellone," Thyriss said. She turned to Laguna. "I'm not sure how much help I will be either, but I do have more experience on the front lines than Ellone does. I will help any way I can." It was the least she could do for the man who gave her a second chance.

"So," Seifer's familiar drawl cut across the teleconferencer though, like Quistis, he was out of the camera's range. "Look's like it me, Quistis, Chicken, and Thyriss? Sound about right, Xu?" Seifer asked.

Xu looked over at Zell who was sitting back in his chair, arms crossed. He looked furious but Thyriss wouldn't want to argue with him. He might be emotionally compromised for the mission but leaving him at Balamb would be impossible. "Fine." Xu did not sound happy about it.

Next to her, Kiros spoke up. "I think one other person should go as well," he said.

Xu frowned. "This is already getting larger than I like. Five people can't move as quickly as two. Or three."

"But five people will move fast enough," Kiros said. "And Laguna's going to be impossible to work with until Squall's back safe."

"Hey!" the President protested. "I"ll keep focused on my work."

"Only because it will stop you from worrying," Kiros said. "Ellone, Ward, and I can hold down the fort here. You and Thyriss go and get Squall back."

Ellone nodded her agreement.

"What?" Seifer asked. "I'm not going to responsible for his safety."

"He can look after himself, Seifer," Quistis said.

"Right." Seifer didn't sound convinced.

"Fine. Five it is. Anything else?" Xu asked.

"Laguna and Thyriss will pack and take the Valhalla to pick you up at Balamb. Hopefully by then Agent Adler will have a destination for you," Kiros said.

"We'll see you then." Balamb's connection to the teleconference was cut and static took over the screen.

"What? I don't get a say in this?" Laguna asked. He flicked off the screen.

"Did you want one?" Kiros responded.

"Kiros is right, Uncle," Ellone said. "You couldn't go with Squall the last two times and you were frustrated. This time, he's directly in danger..."

"He's always directly in danger," Laguna said. He stood up from his chair rather suddenly. "I'll go pack. Thyriss meet me in the hanger in thirty minutes." He stormed from the room.

Thyriss blinked. She could count on one hand the number of times Laguna had taken the situation seriously. And she had never actually seen him angry.

"He's really worried about Squall," Ellone said.

"I don't have children, but in his situation, I would be as well." What Thyriss didn't add was that if Rinoa had Bonded Squall, they would have a hard time breaking him free of her. If it could even be done.

"Keep him safe, Thyriss," Kiros said. He looked at Ellone. "For both of us."

Thyriss nodded. She stood up from her chair. "Excuse me, I have some packing to do and not much time to do it in."


	4. Chapter 3 To Timber

Chapter 3- To Timber

Squall sat back in the train's plush seat. Rinoa took the seat beside him and took his hands in hers.

"I'm exhausted, Squall," she said.

She looked it with the shadows under her eyes. "You didn't sleep on the train ride to Timber," Squall said. "You should get some rest now."

Rinoa shook her head. Her hair had grown longer since Squall had last seen it. It fell nearly to her hip now. "I can't sleep, Squall, not when we're like this."

Squall frowned. "What do you mean?" Underneath him, the train lurched and started moving forward.

Rinoa released his hand and sat back in the seat. She pulled her knees up to her chest and stared at the wall. "I just mean that..." she turned to look at Squall. "You really love him don't you?"

Him? Zell. Why was he here on a train with Rinoa instead of back in Balamb? Trying to remember was like trying to push through molasses. Everything since Rinoa showed up at his office seemed a little fuzzy. He put a hand to his temple to stop the sudden pounding. The movement of the train was suddenly unbearable and the room too stifling. Squall stood up and staggered to the doorway. He leaned heavily against the door and almost fell through it when it opened. Outside of the room was little better. Distantly, Squall was aware that Rinoa was calling his name. Squall ignored her and walked to the window. He forced it open slightly and leaned into the bitingly cold fresh air coming in from outside. He forced himself to breath deep through his nose. The nausea slowly faded away although the headache remained.

"Squall," Rinoa touched him gently on the arm. He hadn't heard her approach. "Are you okay?"

Squall shoved her off and turned to look at her. "What the hell did you do to me?" he asked. He could think clearly again, for the moment. He remembered the Fire Cavern, Balamb, and Timber.

Rinoa backed up, her hands held in front of her in supplication. "What do you mean, Squall? I didn't do anything."

"Don't fucking lie to me!" Squall jerked forward to grab Rinoa by the arm. She struggled against him but Squall was by far the stronger of the two. He drug her back into the private SeeD cabin. Once the door was closed, he pinned her against the wall, his arm across her chest. "What the hell did you do?" Squall's voice was little more than a growl.

"Squall, let me explain. Please." Rinoa spoke quickly. "I used a spell, but its just a spell. I - I can undo it. And without the spell it won't work and I won't..."

"What spell, Rinoa? How are you controlling me?"

"I'm not...well, I guess I am but...if you just listen, its nothing that we haven't done before...Squall, please..."

"NOW, Rinoa. I'm not playing." He tightened his grip on her.

"ImadeyoumyKnight." Rinoa's voice was rather indistinct.

"What?" Squall loosened his grip on Rinoa.

"You're my Knight. Its a Bond. It allows us to... share ...certain things. And to..."

"Why, Rinoa? Why me?" He knew answer, damn it. Was this what Seifer felt when Edea was controlling him? Fucking hell. How did he fight this?

"Because I love you, Squall. And I deserve to have you." Rinoa did something that sent Squall flying across the small room. Squall landed in a heap on the floor. Rinoa walked over to kneel by his side before he could recover. "And I always get what I deserve, Squall." She pulled Squall's hair until he was looking in her brown eyes. "Remember that next time, won't you?"

Squall fought against the Spell it took hold, his mind scrabbling futile to retain its free will.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Zell shielded his eyes against the wind from the Valhalla's landing.

"I never get over how impressive she is," Quistis said beside him. "The Ragnorok was impressive but this..."

"Its just a ship," Seifer said. "Soon the air'll be full of them."

Zell doubted that. Esthar was holding onto their technological advantage with an iron fist. It was only because Laguna's relationship with Squall that got Balamb the regular use of one ship or another.

"Did we hear back from Adler yet?" Quistis asked.

"Xu's phone was ringing as I left the office," Seifer replied. "I'm sure she'll be out with info in a minute."

Zell turned to Seifer. "And you didn't stay to hear what the report was?" Damn the man! Didn't he realize that every second was precious?

"Easy, Zell," Quistis said, laying a hand on his arm. "We're all as worried as you are."

That was bullshit. If Seifer had been missing, Quistis would not be so calm. In fact, she hadn't been the time Squall had sent Seifer off on an emergency mission without telling her first. That had been an unpleasant argument at two in the morning. Beside them, the Valhalla finished its descent and the door at the top of it opened and ramp descended.

"You don't really think that, Quisty, do you?" Seifer asked.

Zell felt a wave of solidarity with the man, an unusual feeling to be directed towards Seifer. He shrugged off Quistis arm, placed and hands in his pockets and started pacing. Damn, but he couldn't just stand still.

It wasn't long before Laguna and Thyriss descended from the airship. Every time Zell saw the brown-haired president, he had the feeling there was a lot he was forgetting. Something about him...

Zell stopped pacing and shook his head to clear it. He had a sudden vision of the a much younger version of the man. But how...?

"Something wrong, Zell?" Quistis asked.

"Other than the obvious you mean?" Seifer asked.

"How the hell do we know Laguna? I mean, I know he's Squall's father..." But Squall couldn't have known that until recently. They were raised together in an orphanage. Zell remembered that much.

Quistis smiled and chuckled. "Long story, but it involved Ellone." Which wasn't really an answer at all.

Laguna waved as he approached the group. "Do we know anything else?" the man asked. He was dressed more casually than Zell had seen him, in khaki pants and a tight fitting dark blue shirt. His hair was pulled back in its customary low tail at the nape of his neck.

"I have information!" Xu's voice came from behind Zell.

He turned to see the woman approach. She was still in the clothes she had woken Zell up in. Neither of them had gotten anything resembling sleep.

"What's the news?" Seifer asked.

Xu came and stood next to Quistis. She waited until both Laguna and Thyriss were close enough to talk normally. "Rad reported in. Squall and Rinoa took a train to Timber. Apparently Rinoa used Squall's SeeD ID so they could book our private cabin. A witness said they saw Squall arguing briefly with Rinoa."

"Arguing?" Thyriss asked, with a frown. "That doesn't sound right."

Timber? Just having a destination made Zell feel marginally better. He would feel even better when they arrived. "What do you mean?"

"If she's controlling Squall, he wouldn't think to argue with her. If I remember the way the Binding Spell works correctly," Thyriss said.

"Right," Seifer cut in. "I never argued with Matron. Every word she said made perfect sense to me."

Thyriss frowned at Seifer. "I thought..." she trailed off when the red-head glared at her.

"What does it mean if he's arguing?" Xu asked.

"That he's willing...?" Thyriss ended with a question. "But from what I know of him..."

"Which is nothing," Zell said. "Fuck! No way he's _willingly_ going with her!" Zell started up the Valhalla. "Let's just get to Timber. We'll find out what we need there." He stormed off into Valhalla. and took a seat in cabin to wait for the others.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Seifer watched Zell head into the ship.

"You're right, Xu," Quistis said. "He is on edge."

"Why the hell shouldn't he be?" Seifer asked.

"I _said_ that," Xu said. "I still think he would be better if we..."

"We're not leaving him behind, Xu," Seifer said. "You'll be forced to put him on suspension. Once he's on suspension he'll follow us on his own and get himself killed." That's exactly what Seifer would do if it was Quistis in question. "Then we'd have to explain to the Commander why we allowed his little pet to get himself killed." Seifer said it nonchalantly but his eyes drifted to the ship. Zell _was_ likely to do something stupid. He would have to keep an eye on him.

Xu took a deep breath. "Before you head to Timber, I want you to drop by Balamb and pick up Rad."

"Weren't you the one who was saying that five was too many?" Laguna asked.

"He's our informant," Quistis said. "We might need him."

"Especially if Rinoa passed through Timber," Seifer added. All four of his companions gave him an odd look. Seifer rolled his eyes. "You really think anyone in Timber is going to help us?"

"I have friends there!" Laguna protested.

Thyriss gave him a look. "You've been in Esthar for years, President. When was the last time you were there?"

"Why wouldn't people in Timber help?" Xu asked.

Quistis slapped her forehead. "Rinoa was leading a resistance group. The people in the town love her. They're not going to tell us anything."

"So, we stop by and pick up Adler. Let's get going then. We're letting Rinoa get farther and farther away with our Commander while we sit here and chitchat." Seifer gave Xu a half-hearted salute and headed towards the ship. He assumed the others were following.

Zell was curled in one of the chairs on the bridge, toying with Squall's ring on his hand. "We moving?" he asked, when Seifer walked in. The energy seemed drained out of him and he looked exhausted.

"Hopefully," Seifer said. He sat back in the chair across the aisle from Zell. Shortly afterwards, Laguna, Thyriss and Quistis filed on. Laguna sat down in the pilot's seat. Seifer felt the ship start up.

"Might want to sit down, ladies," Laguna called to Quistis and Thyriss. "I'm not the best pilot in the world."

"Want me to fly?" Quistis asked. She looked at Seifer but decided to take the chair in front of him, instead of climb over him. Thyriss sat next to Quistis.

"I got it," Laguna said. "First stop, Balamb."

"Why Balamb?" Zell asked, his head perking up.

"To pick up Adler," Quistis said.

"Oh." His head drooped against the chair again. "Makes sense I guess."

"Zell, you should get some rest," Quistis said. "I know you were up all night."

Zell didn't say anything but kept his head on the seat, his eyes were open though.

Seifer felt the shift in the ship's engines as the Valhalla left the ground. It was really a short flight to Balamb, a matter of moments before the ship started the descent again.

Thyriss turned to look at Seifer. "How have you been?" she asked.

Seifer blinked, a little surprised. "Fine, I guess," he said, warily.

Thyriss smiled. "That's good. And you and Quistis? Or was that just a ruse?"

Quistis giggled a little, a blush coming to her cheeks. "It started as that," she said. "Seifer took me a little by surprise in the inn."

"Well, glad I could be of some good, then," Thyriss said. She sighed and leaned back in the chair.

"What about you?" Quistis asked.

Seifer looked at his partner. Trust the woman to be able to make small talk with woman responsible for Matron's death.

No, that had been her Knight. And Ormis was dead. Thyriss had wanted the situation to end as bloodlessly as possible. If only to save Ormis.

"I've been...fine."

"I'll head to down to get Adler," Laguna said, standing up from his seat. "You four stay put."

Zell jumped up. "I'll go to. Can't sit still." He led the way back towards the ship's door. Laguna followed.

There was silence in the cabin. Quistis yawned. "Its been a long night. I think I'll get some rest."

"Good idea," Seifer said.

Quistis looked at him, at Thyriss, then back at him. "Hell, we're going to be on the road for a bit," she said before standing up. She walked to the chair next to Seifer and sat down it, pulling the armrest between them up. Then she curled herself up in the seat with her head in Seifer's lap. "Not very professional, but I don't think I'm in charge on this mission," she said with a yawn.

Seifer chuckled and rested a hand on her head. "Xu didn't set a leader, did she?"

"Not my problem right now."

Seifer looked up to see Thyriss watching them with a small, rather sad smile on her face.

"What is it?" he asked.

Thyriss shook her head. "I miss it, being close to someone."

"You felt him die, didn't you?" Seifer asked. He remembered the feeling quite clearly; it wasn't something that anyone ever forgot.

Thyriss' eyes grew a little distant. "We're going to have a hell of a time separating your Commander from his Sorceress," she said.

Seifer nodded. "I know."

Footsteps interrupted any further conversation. Zell came back in and slumped back down in chair, followed by Adler. The man looked a little like Xu, although the relation wasn't obvious. He stepped gingerly across Thyriss to take the co-pilot's chair. Laguna was last.

"Ready?" Laguna asked.

Thyriss was frowning at Adler. "You look familiar," she said.

Adler blinked and looked a little surprised. "Uh, yeah," he said. "I just might at that."

"We're ready, Pres," Seifer said. "Take us to Timber."

"It'll be a couple of hours," Laguna said, taking his seat and starting the engines. "All of you might wanna follow Quistis' example."

Seifer sighed and leaned his head back in seat and proceeded to do just that.


	5. Chapter 4 Keys

_A/N: *Looks at sister's fanfic* *looks back at mine*. Huh, you know, she has more reviews for ONE chapter of her story than I have for both of mine together? And she had people reviewing that aren't related to her! I'm actually getting jealous here. Pleasepleaseplease make an author happy and let her know how you're liking the story. Even a quick "its good" will make my day. And I do respond to reviews, honest! _

Chapter 4- Keys

Thyriss decided she liked Timber. It was certainly larger than her own small town in Southern Esthar but not so big as Esthar's capital, where she always felt lost.

Unfortunately, it seemed the town did not like her. Or rather, they didn't care for the SeeDs she was travelling with. The third person Quistis stopped just shook their head and walked away before the blond woman could even finish her question. Quistis turned back to her with a huff, her breath crystallizing in the air in front of her. "Its useless," she said to Thyriss. "We might as well head back to the hotel to see if the others had any luck."

Thyriss shrugged her coat tighter around her. "I doubt it," she said. Laguna had been rather obvious when he landed the Valhalla. "Everyone in town knows who we are and why we're here. Its no surprise they won't talk to us."

"I know but.." Quistis sighed. "Its frustrating not being able to do anything."

Thyriss made a hum of agreement. It was cold out here. At least the city was warm all year around. At least in the Presidential Palace.

Quistis spotted a person leaving the nearby bar and walked over to them. Thyriss could have told her to not waste her breath. The person ignored Quistis and continued on their way, brushing past Thyriss on the stairs without comment.

"How kind of you to respond!" Thyriss called after him. "The very least you could is ignore us civilly."

She was mildly surprised when the man gave a backward glance. "Sorry, ma'am," he said before scurrying away.

Thyriss was even more surprised at Quistis' laughter. "What?"

Quistis shook her head, still laughing. "I've never heard someone berate another person for ignoring them in the wrong way."

Thyriss felt a grin come to her lips. "I suppose it was a little ridiculous."

"And then he replied!" Quistis said. "I'm going to have try that with the students."

"Students are much harder to teach," Thyriss said. "They tend to think they know everything. Especially librarians." Thyriss remembered the young woman in Esthar who wouldn't even be in the same room with her after her episode following Ormis' death.

That sent Quistis off in another gale of laughter. "We really should head back to the hotel. Its almost noon."

"Right. Because if we haven't found anything in the last three days, today makes it better." But Thyriss turned and started up the stairs. Quistis fell into step next to her.

"Two days, technically," Quistis said. "Today's only the third."

"And we'll be here tomorrow," Thyriss said. They reached the top of the stairs and continued along the path to the tracks. "Unless Adler finds something."

"Let's hope," Quistis said.

They passed quickly through Timber's streets which were surprisingly empty. Thyriss was convinced that the denizens of the town wanted nothing to do with the SeeD in their midst. Perhaps she and Adler would have had a better time on their own. Heaven knows Laguna couldn't keep his mouth shut long enough to subtly ask for …

"Laguna!" Thyriss said. She stopped in the middle of the street.

Quistis continued a few steps before stopping to look back at her. "What about him?" she asked.

"Maybe if he plays up the concerned father angle, we could get somewhere."

Quistis shook her head. "I think he tried it the first day," she said. "At least, I would assume he did. But even if he didn't, it's too late now. They know we're looking for Squall and Rinoa."

Thyriss twisted her lips in thought and continued walking. It was unlikely that they would get the townspeople to talk to them at this point. If they had entered the town differently, they might have had some success. But they didn't and there was nothing they could do about it now.

The hotel manager wasn't too pleased to see them. He pointedly ignored their entrance as the two women walked up to the rooms they had rented. They went into the room Quistis was sharing with Seifer during their stay.

Quistis took off her coat and lay it across the chair before sitting on the bed. Thyriss placed hers over Quistis' and sat down at the small desk in the room. "So, before the boys get back, we should have an alternative plan in place," she said.

Quistis nodded in agreement. "If I could think of one, I would."

"Well, let's look at this logically," Thyriss said. "Do we know where Rinoa is going or what she wants?"

Quistis shook her head.

"Do we know where she's been?"

"The Fire Cavern." Quistis stood up. "At least that's what she and Squall told Zell before they left. Which could be a lie." She started pacing.

"Assume for a minute that she didn't lie. Not likely, but we don't have anything else to go on at the moment. What's in the Fire Cavern?"

"Nothing anymore," Quistis said, still pacing. "It used to be a test for our SeeD students but since Squall stopped the use of Guardian Forces, its just been a rather empty training ground."

"So, there used to be a GF?" Thyriss asked, with a frown. There was something familiar about that.

"Ifrit," Quistis said. She stopped pacing and turned to look at Thyriss. "Why? Do you know something?"

"I'm not certain..."

The door to the small room opened and Seifer walked in, followed by Zell and Laguna. "No luck?" he asked Quistis.

Quistis shook her head.

Zell leaned against the closet door, his arms crossed and his eyes distant.

"When does Adler get in?" Laguna asked.

"He's supposed to check in at one," Seifer said. "But I doubt he got anything either."

"Don't be too certain of that," Laguna said. "He seems rather competent."

"He's one of our best," Quistis said. "But you were saying something, Thyriss."

Thyriss bit her lip, a habit from when she was much younger. "I think..." All eyes were on her and it was rather disconcerting. It certainly wasn't helping her remember whatever was in the back of her mind. Something with Ormis...

"Well?" Seifer asked.

"How the hell am I supposed to think with everyone staring at me?" Thyriss asked. She closed her eyes. A shame she didn't know a memory spell. At least not one that would work on her. That seemed to be Ellone's department.

"Sorry," Laguna said. "If it helps, we can close our eyes."

"My eyes are closed, Laguna. I can't see you staring."

"We were talking about the Fire Cavern..." Quistis trailed off.

"I remember that. That's not the hard part." There was silence for a minute while Thyriss continued to think. "I remember now!" Thyriss said, opening her eyes.

"What?" Seifer asked. He was sitting on the bed where Quistis had been before she had started her pacing.

"The Guardian Forces have homes; locations where they are bound until they are moved by a human partner," Thyriss said.

"Right. I think most of them are within the Garden's databanks right now," Quistis said.

"All of them since I put mine in," Zell said. "Unless there's more we don't know about."

Thyriss shrugged. "That part I don't know. But what I do know is that in each of these homes there is a Key that can be used by a Sorceress' Knight to do...various things. I don't know them all. I just know that Ormis wanted them. We had two of them before we decided to attack."

"So you think Rinoa is after these keys?" Seifer asked. "And the Fire Cavern was the first one?"

"What do the Keys do?" Laguna asked.

Thyriss shrugged. "Various things. I don't know them all. Like I said, Ormis had two. One allowed him to create a poison gas. The other allowed him to control monsters. I believe he sent a few to Balamb about the time we attacked Trabia."

A heavy silence filled the room after Thyriss stopped speaking. Quistis gave a glance towards Zell who had stiffened against the wall, his eyes wide and turned to Thyriss. Perhaps reminding them that she had been behind that attack had not been the best idea...

Zell pushed himself off the wall and left the room, letting the door close with a bang behind him. "I'll go talk him," Quistis said. She left the room quickly.

"That wasn't the brightest thing there," Seifer said.

"What...I mean..." No SeeDs had died in that attack, Thyriss knew. A handful of citizens from Balamb town but certainly no one that …

"His mother was in Balamb during the attack," Seifer said, cutting through Thryiss' train of thought. "She was killed."

"Fuck, I need to apologize," Thyriss said, standing up.

Seifer put a hand out to stop her. "I'd let Quisty handle it. Chicken can be temperamental, especially now."

"Besides, it happened three years ago," Laguna added. "No need to bring it up any more than it already has been."

Thyriss sat back down again.

"So," Laguna said. "Assuming you're right. And that's a good thing to assume since we don't have another theory to go with, where is the next closest home of a GF?" He looked at Seifer.

Seifer shrugged. "Don't ask me. I was following Matron while Squall and his buddies were gallivanting all over the globe collecting them."

"I doubt they were gallivanting," Thyriss said.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Seifer called.

Adler opened the door. "Thought this was the room. The manager gave me a nasty look when I asked about SeeD," he said.

"Find anything?" Laguna asked.

"Sure, though you guys sure put everyone's back up coming in like you did." The man grinned. "Course, that just made them more willing to tell me anything I wanted to know. All I had to do was mention how annoyingly entitled anyone from SeeD was and they opened up like a ripe melon."

"So get on with it," Seifer said. "Where did they go?"

"Deling City. And good luck finding them there. I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Well, its a place for us to start," Laguna said. "And as soon as Zell and Quistis get back, we'll head out on the Valhalla."

"Where' the closest GF to Deling City?" Thyriss asked.

"Why are we asking about Guardian Forces?" Adler asked.

"Thyriss thinks she knows their ultimate goal," Seifer replied.

"That sounds like a question for the other two, when they get back," Laguna said. "Alright everyone, let's pack up so we can leave!"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Squall woke with a start, his arms jerking against the straps that held him in place. He felt Rinoa stir beside him, her bare skin brushing against his chest.

His heart pounding, Squall breathed deeply. He didn't exactly recall the dream, but it hadn't been pleasant. His mouth was dry. But his mind was his own, for now. It usually was when he woke, until Rinoa woke up and bespelled him again. Her Binding Spell was slowly becoming more strong, replacing his will with hers. Soon, Squall was certain he would not even have these mornings to himself. It was already lasting most of the day and Rinoa was becoming more sharp about applying it at the first sign of Squall's memories returning.

Squall gave a tentative tug of the strap holding his wrist down. It had a little give to it but not much. Rinoa didn't want to hurt him. Squall bit back a small laugh. Apparently robbing him of his free will didn't count.

There was no going back to sleep. Squall was too awake. He could hear the sounds of the city outside of Rinoa's room in her father's house. It was early in the morning but the city never actually slept. Which only meant that Squall did not have a good idea about the time. They were leaving Rinoa's father's house today, however. For the Tomb of the Unknown King. To collect the next Key.

Squall frowned. He could feel the Key lying on his chest on the thick chain Rinoa had purchased for him once they had arrived. She hadn't explained what it did and seemed uncertain herself.

But it had to do something. But did he want try? If he did anything, Rinoa could wake up and would put him right back under her spell. Then again, he had to do something. If he just gave in to Rinoa …

Squall tugged at the wrist-strap again. Still holding tight. If he had something that could cut the leather strap Rinoa used …

The Key on Squall's bare chest began to radiate a soft, gentle heat. Squall remembered the feeling from when Rinoa and he had called the Key the first time. Squall reached out within himself to draw the magic from the Key, much like he would have with a monster. The Key responded and gave up its power to him. Squall could feel it entering his pores. Gently, carefully, Squall released the power through his wrists, onto the leather strap. The smell of burned leather assaulted Squall's nose. He gave his wrist an experimental tug. It pulled free, the charred remains of the leather falling onto the bed.

For a moment, Squall didn't move. He had a choice here. To pretend to go back to sleep and hope Rinoa wouldn't notice. Make an escape later, after he had time to think things through and plan. That was the safe route, the one that would get him in the least amount of trouble should things fall through.

But another part of Squall knew that if he didn't do something now, he might never do anything to escape again.

Squall slipped from the bed, gently. He didn't want to wake Rinoa now. His pants were somewhere on the floor. Squall grabbed them and slipped them on before leaving quietly leaving Rinoa's room. He knew the way to Caraway's office. He had been here enough in the past. That was where Caraway kept his phone. He could call Garden, let them know his location. Then he could leave. But calling Garden was first. They needed to know. Hell, _Zell_ needed to know he was safe.

Caraway's mansion was deserted and the halls were deathly quiet. It was somewhere between the last hours of the night and the earliest hours of the morning if there wasn't even a servant in sight. Squall let himself into the office and closed the door behind him. The door sounded too loud in absolute silence.

Squall reached for the phone and dialed the direct line to his office. He had no idea what time it was in Balamb but hopefully someone had...

"Operative Tond speaking for Commander Leonhart. How can I help you?" a male voice said over the phone.

"Nida!" Squall's throat was suddenly very dry and he had a hard time formulating what exactly he was going to say.

"Squall!" The slightly bored tone left Nida's voice. There was the sound of fumbling. "I'm calling Xu to the office."

"I have to be quick," Squall said. His voice sounded shaky to himself. "I'm in Deling City with Rinoa." Damn, what else was he supposed to say? His heart was beating too fast for him to think clearly.

"Okay, Squall, calm down," Nida said. "Can you get away from Rinoa?"

"I-I think so. After this."

"Good. Squall, we have a team looking for you. Can you meet them somewhere in Deling?"

Squall forced himself to think. "The hotel?" he said.

"Good. I'll deliver the message. They'll meet you and then you can come back here to Balamb."

The door to the office opened. Squall jumped about a mile into the air. "Squall? What are you doing here?" Rinoa asked.

Squall looked up to see the Sorceress stride into the office. Her hair was still sleep mussed and she was dressed in a robe.

"Squall?" Nida called on the line. "You need to talk to me..."

"Drop the phone, Squall," Rinoa said, coming towards him.

"I need to go," Squall said into the phone. He replaced the phone on the receiver. He dropped his gaze from Rinoa's eyes. If he had just a few more minutes, he could have done something.

"Squall, I'm not mad," Rinoa said. She was close enough that Squall could feel her breath on his cheek. "Look at me, love." Gentle hands were placed on his cheek. She pushed his head until he was looking in her eyes. "There, see?" Rinoa smiled and Squall once more felt himself slipping away.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Zell jerked awake when the phone in the Valhalla rang. He hadn't even been aware that there was a phone in the ship.

"Laguna, here," Laguna said from the pilot's seat.

Zell sat up and looked around the ship. Quistis was awake of course; she had been co-piloting next to Laguna. Seifer looked like he hadn't been asleep at all. The Sorceress was rubbing her eyes. Adler was missing from the cockpit. Possibly off checking something or maybe they had already dropped him off so he could walk into Deling without attracting attention. Zell wasn't sure.

"President, its Xu. We had word from Squall." Laguna must have taken the phone call over the intercom.

"You did?" Zell asked. He was awake now.

"And I guess you're broadcasting my message all over the ship, aren't you?"

"Seemed the most efficient way to get information to everyone at once," Laguna said. "Besides, I'm driving."

"What about Squall?" Zell asked.

"I'm sure if we let the Commander speak, she'll fill us in," The Sorceress said.

Zell narrowed his eyes at the red-headed woman. "I wasn't speaking to you. Besides, Squall's the Commander." He knew he sounded childish. But he wasn't ready to be mature just yet.

"Enough, Zell," Quistis said. "You promised."

Zell sat back in his chair and bit back his response to Quistis before he could make an even bigger fool of himself than he already had.

"If you're all quite finished," Xu's calm and professional voice cut in. "Squall called in twenty minutes ago. He's in Deling City, though we aren't sure for how long. Rinoa pulled him away from the phone before we could get more information."

"What was his status?" Quistis asked. Her voice was crisp, professional.

There was silence on the other end of the phone line.

"Well?" Zell asked. It took every ounce of willpower for him to remain in his seat.

"They're debating how much to tell you, Chicken," Seifer said. "Be patient. You'll get more info that way."

As much as Zell didn't want to admit it, or wait, Seifer was right. He waited.

Nida came on the line. "He didn't sound like himself at all. Frantic, scared. Not the Commander we're used to seeing. And when Rinoa came into the room, he didn't even argue. He just did as she said."

"She won't stay in Deling City long then," Laguna said. "They're probably moving now."

"But we know more than we did," Xu said. She must have them on speaker as well. "He's alive and being held unwillingly."

"If he just went with her, its not necessarily unwilling," Seifer pointed out.

"But he called us," Quistis said. "Which indicates..."

"He wasn't willing," Nida said. "That much was clear."

"Told you," Zell muttered under his breath. The others ignored him.

"I wonder..." The Sorceress said. She trailed off.

"Wonder what?" Quistis asked.

"The Binding Spell might be … broken for some reason."

"There's a Binding Spell?" Xu asked.

"Yes, Commander," Thyriss said. "I used it with Ormis. It Binds and Knight and Sorceress together and allows them to share certain things. Energy, stamina. Occasionally thoughts and emotions as well."

"It can also be placed unwillingly on the Knight," Seifer said. "And used to control him."

"Correct. Though my bond with Ormis was voluntary."

Zell listened with only half an ear. Who cared how Rinoa was controlling Squall? She was controlling him and that was enough to go on. Zell leaned back and closed his eyes. The question was, how to find him. Except... "Wait? She's mind-controlling Squall?"

"Glad you to see you were paying attention," Thyriss said.

"That is what we just talked about," Seifer added.

"Like when Edea was controlling you," Zell said.

Thyriss frowned in Seifer's direction. "I had no idea your bond with Edea was involuntary."

"Only with Ultimecia," Seifer said. He fidgeted in his seat. "Anyway, we need to figure out where we go from here."

Zell smiled. "I bet her dad knows," Zell said. "We could ask him."

Quistis glanced back at Zell. "You think he'll just tell us where his daughter is if we ask nicely?"

"If we ask nice enough," Laguna said.

"I'm not sure I was going to ask," Zell said. He looked down at Squall's ring on his finger and twisted it with his other hand.

"Zell," Xu said. "I can still..."

"Leave it, Xu. We're on top of him," Quistis cut in. "He's been good."

Zell relaxed back in his seat. "Yeah, sure. Good."

"There's another possibility," Thyriss said. "One we discussed before leaving Timber."

"We discussed something before leaving Timber?" Zell asked.

"Oh yeah! I'd forgotten!" Laguna started flicking switches on the Valhalla. The sound of the machinery beneath them shifted to another gear, indicating that Laguna was actually landing the ship. "I'm gonna stop here so we can discuss. Any closer and we'll be locked into heading for Deling City."

"What are these other plans?" Xu asked. "Though contacting Caraway might not be a bad idea if this other one doesn't work out. Provided Zell can keep from causing an Incident that is."

"Thyriss, you know what you're talking about more than the rest of us," Seifer said. He waved his arm towards the Sorceress.

"I knew bringing her was a good idea," Laguna said.

"I'll try to keep it brief since the others already know about the Keys," Thyriss said. She quickly relayed the information she had repeated earlier in the day to Xu and Nida. Zell tuned her out. He had heard it once before and while interesting, it wasn't the most important part this puzzle. Whatever Rinoa was after, she would damn well have to get it without Squall. Once Squall was back, they could figure out the rest.

Then again...

"Wait a minute," Zell said. "This is stupid." He must have interrupted Thyriss because the entire bridge of the Valhalla was looking at him.

"What's stupid?" Quistis asked.

"If we know what Rinoa's after, and Sedra knew, there must be books somewhere about it. I mean, information doesn't just disappear. Someone should be digging this up. It might also shed some clues on where Rinoa's heading," Zell said. "I'm not giving Squall up, but someone in Garden or Esthar could be looking. And whatever Rinoa's planning, Squall's only a part of it. We need to be prepared for stopping whatever she's really doing."

"Elle could," Laguna said. "I know she's been waiting for a way to help."

"I'll contact Selphie and see if she can have her SeeDs keep their eyes and ears open as well," Xu said.

"Good idea, Zell," Quistis said.

"Anyway, you were saying something," Zell said, turning to Thyriss.

Thyriss raised an eyebrow at him. "Are we being civil again?" She shook her head. "Never mind, don't answer that. I was just saying that if we knew of a location of a Key near Deling City, that's our best shot."

"And the Keys are associated with Guardian Forces?" Quistis asked.

"I believe so," Thyriss said.

"So, where is there a Guardian Force around Deling?" Seifer asked.

Quistis and Zell looked at each other. "The Tomb of the Unknown King," Zell said. "Where we found the Brothers."

"Then here's the plan," Seifer said. "Zell, Thyriss, and I head to the Tomb to see if we can track down Rinoa and Leonhart. Whatever we find, we'll head back to Deling City where Quistis and Laguna will be waiting with Adler." Seifer grinned at his lover and Laguna. "And you can ask Caraway nicely if he knows where his daughter has stashed our Commander."


	6. Chapter 5 In Galbadia

Chapter 5- In Galbadia

Rinoa felt a little light-headed and dizzy as she watched the gray Key pull itself from the statue and fly to Squall's hand. She told herself it was from the effort of fighting multiple monsters inside the Tomb and not from the effort of maintaining Squall's Bond.

"Ready to go?" Rinoa asked, turning to Squall. She put a bright smile on her face.

Squall looked at the Key in his hand. "What does this one do?" he asked.

Riona blinked. "I-I'm not sure," she said with a frown. She hadn't even been aware the Keys had power until Squall had shown her how he had escaped her bindings. What did the man want them for anyway?

Squall looked at Rinoa, meeting her eyes for once. Rinoa breathed a little easier. Usually Squall didn't ask her questions when under her influence, so she had been concerned. "I think I can be more helpful if you tell me what you're after, Sorceress."

"Squall..." Rinoa trailed off. She narrowed her eyes at her lover. "Let's get out of here, first." Rinoa turned and walked away from the tomb. Fortunately, the puzzle was easier solved going out than in and most of the tough monsters had been killed in the process of entering the tomb.

Before Rinoa could confide in Squall, she had to trust him. And she couldn't. His phone call to Balamb yesterday proved it and possibly put a wrench in the rest of Rinoa's plans. On the other hand, Squall had a quick, logical mind that would make him a good asset in the rest of her quest. If she could trust him.

The sunlight over the stone garden was a welcome change from the musty air of the tomb. Rinoa stopped just outside of the tomb on the steps down to savour the cool, crisp air. Squall stopped next to her. "Nice out here," he said.

"Yeah, it is." Rinoa took a deep breath and grabbed hold of Squall's arm, a privilege the man rarely allowed her. But she couldn't trust him. Squall had told her everything he had said to Nida before she arrived, and she had been extra careful since, but she couldn't take the chance that he would slip her hold again and give some real information to Balamb.

"Where are we headed next?" Squall asked.

And that was the other problem with giving Squall any information. She didn't have any herself. "I'm not exactly sure," she admitted. "My... mentor said he'd show up with more information." Pulling herself away from Squall, Rinoa started down the steps and into the ruins. She didn't get very far before two figures detached themselves from the shadows. Rinoa stopped. Squall took a step in front of her and drew his gunblade.

"Sorceress Rinoa," the female of the duo said. She had long brown hair tied back in a tight braid. The man next to her shared her brown hair and freckled face. Both were dressed casually in travel-worn clothes.

"That's me," Rinoa said. She raised her hand in greeting. "Squall, are they from Balamb?" she asked.

"I've never seen them before in my life."

The woman giggled. "No, you haven't. We do have a mutual friend, however."

"Tell your Knight to put away his gunblade," the man said. "It wouldn't be a fair fight anyway."

"What does that mean?" Squall asked.

"Just put down your weapon, Squall," Rinoa ordered, her aspiration showing in her voice. Now was not the time to be macho. "She's another Sorceress." Now that she was concentrating on it, Rinoa could feel the Power radiating off the woman.

Squall lowered his gunblade but kept it out.

"Right." The girl giggled again. "I'm Etris Sayptor. And this is my brother, Tain." She turned to smile at her brother. "Say 'hi' Tain," she said.

Tain rolled his eyes. "Just deliver the message so we can get back home," he said.

"What does he want?" Rinoa asked.

"You're next target is Quezacotl's Key," Etris said.

"Where is that?" Rinoa asked.

Etris giggled again. "No idea! Tain and I were looking for that one, but we need a break. Tain's getting homesick."

"Shut up, Etris," Tain said. "They don't need the details."

"Right!" Etris nodded vigorously. "So yeah, we're heading back home. If we find any info though, we'll get in touch!"

"Where is the Key not?" Squall asked. He was toying with his.

"Oooh, that's a good question..." Etris trailed off.

"Its not on the Esthar or Centra continent," Tain said. "We've been all over those."

"Haven't been to Trabia yet, though," Etris said. "Its cold there and I like the tropics."

"What about Balamb and this continent?" Squall asked.

Rinoa bit her lip in thought. This was why she wanted to tell Squall everything.

"This one's a no-go," Etris said. "I think you just picked up the last one I know about in Galbadia."

"Balamb's an unknown. But its really too small to hide much," Tain said.

Squall turned to Rinoa. "We'll start with Trabia," he said.

Rinoa nodded. "Sure. Sounds good."

"Hey, Rinoa!" Etris called. Rinoa looked at the woman who had a huge grin on her face. "Your Knight's kinda cute. Are you sleeping with him?"

Rinoa's eyes widened. "That's not...how...what?" she asked.

"We're leaving Et," Tain said. "Leave the Sorceress and her Knight alone."

Etris waved. "Fine, ignore the question. We'll discuss it later!" A black disk appeared behind her and Etris walked though it, followed by Tain. The disk closed up behind them.

"So, about these Keys," Squall said, turning to her.

Rinoa sighed. "Fine. Let's get a fire going and I'll tell you over lunch." There was no help for it. If he was making his presence known to Squall, Rinoa would just have to fill Squall in on everything. Rinoa would just have to be extra vigilant about making sure the Bonding Spell lasted. At least until she could find a way to fix it.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Zell stopped when Seifer gripped his arm. "Smell that, Chicken?" he asked.

Zell sniffed the crisp air. "Smoke," he said. "Someone's here." They were just outside the entrance to the tomb, standing on the windswept peninsula. The sun was bright overhead, though it did little to warm the air.

"A Sorceress," Thyriss said. "I can sense her."

Zell felt a grin slowly spread across his face. "That means..." He would have run ahead but Seifer's tightening grip on his arm stopped him.

"Not so fast, Chicken," Seifer told him.

Zell turned to snarl something at Seifer but Thyriss spoke up before he could. "Seifer's right. We need to prepare first."

Zell turned to the red-headed woman. "Plan what?" he asked. He pulled away from Seifer and bounced in place, throwing punches in the air. "I'm ready for anything."

"For a Sorceress?" Seifer asked.

Zell stopped dead. "Well..." Maybe Seifer had a point. But Squall was up there. So close that Zell could almost...

"Is there any way to block Rinoa's magic?" Seifer asked. "She might just open one of those portal things and run away."

"Or blast us with a fireball," Zell said. He had seen first hand what Rinoa could do when she put her mind to it. More than any of the others at least. Though Seifer might have been on the receiving end a time or two.

"I'm not sure I can block her completely," Thyriss said. "But I should be able to counter any spell she throws."

"Except for fireballs," Zell said.

"A shield?" Thyriss suggested.

"Oh, yeah. So...can we go now?" Zell took a step toward the dark cavernous entrance.

"One last thing," Seifer said.

"What now?" Zell waited. If they escaped while Seifer was talking, Zell knew who would be on the receiving end of Zell's fists.

Seifer gripped Zell's shoulder tightly and leaned into him. "You let _me_ deal with whatever she had Leonhart do," he said fiercely. "You focus on her."

"Why? So you can get your revenge?" Zell asked, pulling away. He had thought Seifer had put all that shit with Squall behind him years ago.

"No, Zell," Seifer practically growled. "So that if he needs to be killed, you're not the one doing it."

Zell felt a pit open in the bottom of his stomach and a chill sweep across his body as Seifer walked off into tomb.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Quistis was grateful for the utter silence and comforting warmth of Caraway's foyer, especially after the noisy and cold streets of Deling City. She was, however, surprised that Caraway had agreed to see them when Laguna told them his name.

"I didn't think the president of Esthar was that well known," Quistis said. She had assumed that Laguna was here incognito. She doubted that Esthar would want the fact that their head of state was off on an adventure to be publicized. And she knew Kiros would not allow it to be known. Much like Xu was keeping Squall's disappearance under wraps. Quistis wondered what sort of story Xu was spreading around Balamb and whether Trabia had been informed. Quistis hoped so. She didn't want to tell Selphie _after_ everything was said and done.

"I don't think it is," Laguna said, pulling Quistis' attention back to Caraway's mansion. "I just knew Fury from before. During the war."

Of course Laguna knew the general. Probably before he had been a general. "Oh," Quistis said.

A maid appeared in the doorway to the foyer. "The General will see you in his office," she said with a small, polite bow. "Please follow me." The maid turned and disappeared back through the doorway.

Quistis and Laguna followed. It wasn't Quistis' first time through the mansion, but she still ogled the General's opulence. Not even Esthar's palace was this grand. Ultimecia's maybe.

Laguna whistled through his teeth appreciatively. "Fury's done will for himself."

"He's the top general in Galbadia," Quistis said. She kept her voice soft. It felt wrong to talk any louder than necessary in this house.

The maid led them down the familiar hallway to the door of Caraway's office. Quistis wasn't surprised to see the office was empty. Rinoa had mentioned once that Caraway liked to keep people waiting. The maid left them in the room with another bow.

Quistis looked around the room. It was decorated very much as it had been when she had visited almost a decade ago. The furniture had been replaced with similar looking pieced and the carpet was now a deep green. But other than that...

Laguna sprawled out on the couch. "You know this isn't very comfortable," Laguna said.

Quistis walked over to the window and studied the streets below her. It was late enough in the afternoon that there were several people on the streets scurrying home from work. What would it be like to have a job that ended at the same time every day? Boring, most likely.

"Then have a seat on a chair," Quistis said, turning back around. "Or, sit up."

Laguna laughed. "You sound like Kiros," he said.

Quistis moved away from the window to sit in the chair across from Laguna. "How do you want to approach him?" she asked.

"Like I said on the Valhalla," Laguna said. "I'll ask nicely."

Quistis doubted that asking nicely would get them anywhere. She was going to say as much when the door to the office opened and Caraway himself walked into the room. Quistis and Laguna both stood up to greet their host.

"Operative Trepe," Caraway said, shaking Quistis' hand. "And ...Laguna," he shook the Esthar President's hand as well. "I must say, I am surprised to see you. Rumor had it you died during..."

"The mission to Esthar. Not quite," Laguna said with an easy grin. "I managed to survive. Though I hear rumor you ended up marrying Julia."

Caraway's eyes hardened at the mention, though his face remained as stoic as it usually was.

"I did," he said. He turned to Quistis. From his body language, it was clear he assumed Quistis was in charge. "I have to say, I am surprised to see you, Operative," he said. "Is there something I can for Balamb?"

"Actually, Fury," Laguna said. "There's something you can do for me."

"I'm here more as support," Quistis said. Though support for what, she wasn't sure. When Zell was around, it was more obvious. Laguna wasn't too likely to do anything too crazy. At least, Quistis hoped not.

"What can I do for you then?" Caraway asked. He walked over to his desk and took the chair behind it. "If its money you need..."

"Money?" Laguna asked. "What would I need money for?"

Caraway raised an eyebrow. "I assumed..."

"Laguna's the president of Esthar," Quistis said quietly. "He hardly needs money." Inwardly, she smirked at the look of surprise on Caraway's face. She school her own features to a neutral expression. "We're after something a little more... personal."

"Information about Julia?" Caraway asked.

Laguna shook his head. "I need to know where your daughter is."

"She has our Commander," Quistis added. "He called us from this office. Don't say you didn't know."

Caraway looked mildly surprised. "Rinoa said something about her and Squall working things out and taking a vacation...that's not true?"

"She kidnapped my son," Laguna said. "And I want to know where she went."

Caraway frowned and held up his hand. "I think you better give me the full story," he said. "What makes you think that Squall was coerced into coming here?" He looked at Laguna. "Squall is _your_ son?"

Quistis bit the inside of her lip, wondering how much tell the General.

"Yeah, he is," Laguna said. "Its not something we advertise."

"I guess not." Caraway's face grew thoughtful, as though he was putting together several pieces of a puzzle.

"Rinoa's a Sorceress," Quistis said. "We believe she has used some sort of spell to control Squall. We're not sure for what purpose, although we do have some ideas."

"A Sorceress?" Caraway sat up straight. "When...how?"

"That's a long story, General," Quistis said, her voice gentle, as though she was talking to one of her younger students. "And one she can tell you when we get a hold of her."

"Right," Laguna said. "But you have to tell us where she went."

Caraway sighed. Quistis felt a little sorry for the man. She and Laguna had just shown him how little he actually knew his daughter. That couldn't be easy. "They went to the Tomb of the Unknown King. From there, I don't know. I got the impression that Rinoa herself wasn't sure."

Quistis met Laguna's eyes. "If they're still there then the others will find them," she said.

"If they're not, then we've hit a dead end," Laguna added.

Quistis desperately hoped that the other group wasn't too late.

_A/N: And according to the Final Fantasy Wiki, yes, Fury is Caraway's real, honest-to-god full name. I looked it up._


	7. Chapter 6 Confrontation

Chapter 6- Confrontation

Squall stood up at the sound of approaching footsteps on the gravel of the open-air courtyard before the tomb. He drew his gunblade. Behind him, Squall felt Rinoa stand up and gather her magic to her. If he closed his eyes, he might have even been able to sense which spells they were. He didn't have time for that now.

"Who do you think it is?" Rinoa asked.

"No idea," Squall said. "Enemies, probably."

They're question was soon answered when three people rounded the corner and stepped out into the sunlight. Three people he recognized. Squall felt a small smile touch his lips and he sheathed his sword.

"What are you doing?" Rinoa hissed.

Squall turned around, a faint frown creasing his forehead. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Its Zell."

"Stay right where you are, Leonhart!" Seifer called. His gunblade was out. "Better yet, take a step back."

Squall turned back to Seifer. "What are you talking about, Almassy?" he asked.

"Squall, baby, just do as he says," Zell called. Squall noted he had his gloves on, as if he was prepared for a fight. It took Squall a moment to place the third person. The Sorceress Thyriss. She had cut her hair since Squall had last seen her. Why was she with Squall and Seifer?

"Squall." Rinoa sounded tense. She hadn't released her magic yet. If anything, she seemed to be preparing more. "You do realize they are not our friends, right?"

Squall turned back to Rinoa. "What do you mean?" Seifer and he had their differences in the past but, for the most part, they were the past. Not now. And Zell was always one of his most loyal friends.

Friends? Squall frowned. He was far more than friends with Zell and had been for several years. Why was he here with Rinoa?

"Squall, look at me," Rinoa whispered.

Squall shook his head. "What do you mean they are not our friends," Squall asked again. He stepped back away from Rinoa as a sudden panic took hold of him. He wanted to turn and run in the other direction as he had not since face-to-face with Ultimecia. Just like then, he didn't. One step was all he allowed himself.

Behind him, Squall noticed Seifer, Zell, and Thyriss whispering, as if quickly forming plans.

"Look at them, Squall," Rinoa said, stepping next to him. She placed hand on his arm. "They're working for Thyriss. Under her control. Why else would they be coming to attack us?" Her voice was strangely compelling. Squall found his eyes drawn to hers and a strange sort of calm took over. His chest loosened and he breathed deeply. He drew his gunblade again.

"I understand, Sorceress," he said. He looked at the trio in front of him. "Its not their fault. If I can stop Thyriss then..."

"Then Zell will free of her influence, yes," Rinoa finished for him. She released his arm and took a step back.

Squall didn't wait for them to finish their plan. He ran forward, swinging his gunblade as he went, making for the Sorceress. Instead of landing a blow on Thryiss' soft flesh, his blade landed squarely on Seifer's own. Seifer pulled his blade back and solidified his position between Squall and Thyriss. Squall didn't give him a chance to launch an attack of his own but immediately swung his blade around to try and hit Seifer's weaker left side. Seifer seemed to anticipate his move and moved out of the way to the right. Squall twisted his body just in time to catch Seifer's blade with his own.

Behind him, Squall heard the chanting of several spells being cast. He didn't have time turn and look but he did take note of the heat as a fireball zipped past him. Damn, he needed to get to the Sorceress before she did something to Rinoa.

Seifer took advantage of Squall's momentary distraction to swing at Squall again. Squall caught the blow on his arm, the gunblade biting deep. Squall ignored the pain and pressed closer to Seifer, forcing the man back, away from his charge. Seifer skirted to the left rather than straight back, to keep himself between Squall and Thyriss. Squall swung his blade to the right. Seifer was slow catching the blade. Squall took advantage and swung again, this time landing a solid blow on Seifer's right side. Seifer hissed in pain but continued to block Squall's blows. He was not, however, moving away from Thryiss.

Behind him, Rinoa screamed. Unable to help himself, Squall turned to look. Zell was pining Rinoa to the ground, laying several good punches on her. Damn!

Squall turned and ran back to Rinoa's side. He pulled Zell off of her and shoved him away from the fighting. Before he could help Rinoa up, Seifer was on him. Squall just had time to bring up his blade before Seifer's hit. Seifer pressed his attack, forcing Squall to retreat away from Rinoa. Exactly the wrong direction he wanted to go.

Squall was too busy with Seifer to pay much attention to Rinoa but he could see her being lifted by some spell into the air. At least she was safe from Zell then.

Once again, Seifer took advantage of Squall's distraction to land a blow. This time, the blade bit Squall on the side. A deep cut that caused Squall to drop to stumble to one knee. Something hard and blunt hit Squall in the back of the head.

Squall toppled forward, the world dimming around him. The last thing he saw was a black portal opening up beneath Rinoa as she was pulled into it. Then the portal vanished, along with Squall's consciousness.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Rinoa yanked herself free from Tain Sayptor's grasp. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked.

Tain raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Rescuing you, I thought," he said.

"A 'thanks' might be in order," Etris said. She giggled. "Though under the circumstances..."

"If you wanted to rescue me, why didn't you fucking _help_?" Rinoa demanded. She was in the middle of a forest, surrounded by trees. There was no one in sight. She fought the urge to kill these two imbeciles and leave them. She would figure out where she was later. First the idiotic girl had audacity to flirt with Squall and now _this_!

"No time," Tain said. "We'd be late."

"For what?" Rinoa turned her back on them. "You might as well send me back."

"No can do, Rin," Etris said. "Even if you_ really_ wanted to. I'm beat. Twice in one day is enough for me."

Rinoa turned back to the brunette and scowled. "Really?" she asked.

Tain apparently had quite enough of Rinoa's antics. She suddenly found herself gripped by the throat. "Watch your tone with my sister," he said. "And be fucking grateful I don't kill you now after that fuck-up you just allowed."

Etris came to stand beside her brother. "He's not very patient with mistakes," she said, her face rather serious for once. By 'He', Rinoa knew she did not mean her brother. "Tain, let her go or we really will be late."

Tain let Rinoa go. "You can come with us back to town. We'll put you up for the night. Then you can explain to Him how you lost your Knight."

Rinoa gasped for breath while the two walked off into the woods. She scurried to catch up with them. "I wouldn't have lost Squall if you had helped me," she muttered.

"Maybe," Etris said. "Maybe not. I can't tell the future. Can you?" For some reason, she giggled again.

"If we hadn't intervened, you'd be dead," Tain said. He pulled a Key out of his pocket, black obsidian. "I know that for sure."

Rinoa frowned at the Key. She tripped over a root and would have crashed into the ground but for Etris' steadying hands. "You're exhausted, Rin," she said.

Rinoa nodded. "Its been...difficult."

"Right. Well, if your Bond is strong, your Knight will come back," Etris said.

Rinoa bit her lip. "Its not. I did lose him..." To her chagrin, Rinoa began to cry. It just wasn't fair! She had worked so hard and now Squall was beyond her grasp and she had failed Him and damned if there weren't going to be consequences for that...

Etris soothed Rinoa, murmuring soothing words and rubbing circles on her back. Eventually Rinoa pulled away, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She looked around. Tain was nowhere in sight and the sun could no longer be seen through the treetops. Late afternoon at best.

"Thanks," she said.

"Its alright," Etris said. "You had a rough day."

"Where's Tain?"

"I sent him ahead. We don't want to be late, after all."

That was the third or fourth time they had mentioned being late. "Late for what?" Rinoa asked.

Etris smiled a little sadly. "Come on. Let's get home and then you'll see." She started on ahead. "So, you know what the Key's are, right?" she called back to Rinoa.

"I know they grant the Knight certain Sorceress-like powers." Rinoa's throat was raw from both screaming and crying. She was also starving. Funny how she hadn't noticed either thing before.

"Right. In some cases, even stronger than what we Sorceress know now. Unless you know how to make a magic nullifying field."

Rinoa shook her head. She had suspected that was how He was blocking her magic. But... "Doesn't He have to Bound to a Sorceress?" she asked.

Etris shrugged. "If he has one, I've never seen her."

"Oh."

The reached the edge of the woods and stepped into a small town. Rinoa thought the buildings had the look of Galbadia. There were several townspeople scurrying about their afternoon business. Probably looking to get inside before the night fell and the temperature dropped even further. Rinoa could feel the tell-tale chill of snow in the air around her.

"What does Tain's Key do?" Rinoa asked.

"He has two," Etris said. She led Rinoa into the town proper and through the town square. "The one he showed you gives him the power of foresight. Not for long, not reliably. But enough." She sighed. "We had just started home when a vision struck him of you dead. So, we high-tailed it back to the woods where no one would see me cast the Portal spell to get you out of there." She frowned. "And it did almost make us late. I am late, Tain might have been on time."

Etris stopped by the front door of a two-story house not that different from the ones around it. She opened the door and went inside, motioning Rinoa to follow her.

The warmth hit Rinoa full force and goosebumps shivered up her arms as she stepped into the small living room. The living room was furnished with a rug in the middle of a hardwood floor, a small fireplace, and two large couches. From the doorway, Rinoa could see the kitchen with several pots already bubbling on the stove. There was stairs leading from the living room to the second story of the house.

"We're home!" Etris called. She motioned for Rinoa to sit on the couch.

"Welcome back!" A young girl, somewhere between the ages of ten and thirteen came down the stairs. She was dressed in a long white nightgown that did little to hide the pallor of her face. She was, to Rinoa's eye, also far too thin to be healthy.

"Should you be up, Iri?" Etris asked, walking to the girl. She knelt down and took the girl in her arms gently, as though she might break.

"I'm feeling fine today," the girl, Iri, said. "Nurse even let me go outside for a bit!"

"Iri was telling me about her adventure in the park," Tain said, coming down the stairs. He glanced at Rinoa before going into the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready soon."

Iri turned to Rinoa. "Who's this?" she asked. "Is it Tain's girlfriend?"

Tain didn't deign to respond but Etris let out a silverly laugh. "No, she's taken," she said. "She has a handsome Knight waiting for her."

Rinoa's stomach clenched. She didn't think she would get the chance to get at Squall a second time. But there was always hope. She just needed a plan.

"Rin, this is my little sister, Irel. Iri, Rinoa. She's a friend of ours. She's going to be staying the night."

Iri smiled at Rinoa. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"Iri, come help in the kitchen!" Tain called.

The girl nodded and walked slowly into the kitchen. Etris came and sat next to Rinoa. "She's not well," the brunette said, her voice more intense than Rinoa had heard it yet. "That's why we need the Keys. There's one that will fix her. We just need to find it. That's how we help Him. We find the Keys and he sends someone else to retrieve them." She looked at Rinoa. "At least, until you lost your Knight. Now _we'll _have to leave her again and go to Trabia to find it."

Rinoa thought for a minute. Squall knew the next Key was in Trabia. Would he be curious enough about what was happening to go after it himself? Squall was a very hands-on type of leader and Rinoa herself had made it personal.

"I think I'll go to Trabia first," Rinoa said. "Maybe I'm not done yet."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Zell pulled his eyes away from Squall for what must have been the hundredth time this past minute. He was not staring, not hungrily drinking up every breath his lover took. Even though Squall did look as though he wasn't sleeping well. Shadows were under his eyes that stood out like dark bruises against his unusually pallid skin. There were restraint marks around his wrists that had made Zell furious when he first saw them.

Other than that, the man seemed unharmed, physically. Hyne only knew what he had gone through mentally. But physically...he would be fine. Other than the cut along his side that Thyriss had Healed and the lump on the back of his head where Seifer had brought the hilt of his gunblade down.

"Did you really have to hit him so hard?" Zell asked. He looked over where Seifer was sitting by the fire.

"I would rather him unconscious for a couple of hours than following Rinoa through the Portal," Seifer said.

"We wouldn't have known where he went," Thyriss said. "We're just lucky he was distracted to let himself be hit."

"Yeah, I guess," Zell said. The exhaustion of the past week was hitting Zell hard. He could almost have curled up here and fallen asleep on the ground. Not that was he was going to. He wanted to be awake when Squall woke up. Hyne only knew what Seifer would say to him if Zell wasn't awake. Then again, perhaps Zell was being a little uncharitable to the man.

There was movement to Zell's left and Squall woke with a start. He jerked briefly against the bond that Seifer had tied around him. Zell had argued about that but Thyriss had sided with the gunblade wielder. There was no telling how much control Rinoa would have over Squall when he woke.

Squall went limp, then turned his head in the direction of the fire. Zell breathed easier when he saw Squall's eyes fasten on him briefly and recognition sweep through them. He hadn't been sure earlier that Squall had even known who he was.

Squall turned his gaze back in Seifer's general direction. "I'm myself, Seifer," he said. "You can undo the bonds."

"Sure about that, Leonhart?" Seifer said.

"He said it," Zell said, standing up. He walked over to untie Squall himself.

"Not so fast, Chicken," Seifer said, standing up. Zell found himself stone-walled by a forcefield in front of him. He glared at Thyriss who was watching Squall intently. Seifer went over to kneel by his former rival. "How can we trust you?" he asked.

Squall was silent for a long time before answering. "I suppose you can't," he said finally. There was an edge of defeat to his voice. "I don't know how much control she still has. But she requires eye contact to re-apply the spell."

"That's true," Thyriss said. "I think you can trust him."

"Of course you can bloody trust him," Zell growled. He knew that Thyriss and Seifer were right to be suspicious though. If it had been Seifer laying there and not Squall, Zell wouldn't have trusted him for a minute. That didn't stop his frustration with the other two however.

The forcefield in front of Zell vanished and Zell stepped forward to help Seifer. Seifer backed away and let Zell take over the task of untying Squall. Zell heard him return to the fire.

Squall wasn't looking at Zell. His gaze was off in the distance, towards the Tomb. His breath came out in little white puffs as the sun slowly set around them.

"That's it, then," Zell said, as he finished the last knot.

Squall sat up slowly and rubbed his wrists. The knots Seifer had tied had been loose enough to not aggravate Rinoa's much tighter ones. Zell had checked them himself. Several times. "Thanks." Squall's voice was soft enough that Zell barely heard it over the crackling of the nearby fire.

"How are you?" Zell asked, keeping his own voice low.

Squall still wasn't looking at him. Now he was staring at the fire, as though entranced. Whatever he was thinking about, he wasn't going to share easily. That was okay though. Zell knew how to wait. At least when it came to Squall.

Without warning, Squall suddenly stood up and walked away from them, towards the tomb.

Zell stood up as well, debating whether or not to follow. He glanced from Squall to Seifer and Thyriss.

"Go on, Zell," Seifer said. "He's going to have to talk to someone. More likely you than any of us."

Zell looked at Seifer, sudden comprehension dawning on him. No wonder Seifer was being so...understanding about everything. "You maybe," he said. "You know what its like..."

Seifer shook his head. "I'm the last one he'll open up to. Besides, I've been doing my best to forget those days." He grinned his cocky grin at Zell. "Well, not the best maybe. I haven't used any GFs..."

Zell cursed at him and spun on his heel to head towards the tomb. Squall was sitting on the steps, staring at his feet. He looked up when Zell approached.

"The fire's warmer," he said.

"Yeah, but you're over here." Zell took the seat next to Squall. The cold stone stairs seeped into his pants and chilled his behind. Squall must be freezing.

"I don't want to talk about it." Squall's voice had the monotone that Zell hadn't heard since they were both teenagers.

"Wasn't going to ask," Zell said. "But, could you please look at me?"

Squall turned his head. Zell gently caught his chin and pulled it all the way towards him, until he could look in Squall's eyes. Squall tensed a little under his hand.

"I know. That's what she did, isn't it?" Zell said. He kept his voice low. He didn't want to frighten Squall. He cupped his hand around Squall's cheek.

Squall nodded. "I know she's not you," he said.

"Squall, its cool. You don't have to explain anything. Whatever you need, baby."

Squall closed his eyes and tilted his head up away from Zell's touch. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Zell said. "You'll tell me when you're ready. Just..." Zell reached up and pulled Squall back, keeping physical contact with him as much as possible. "Just don't shut me out."

"Don't...shut you out?" Squall looked momentarily confused

"Yeah, I'm not going to lose you to that bitch when she's not even here to..."Zell cut off as Squall pressed his lips against Zell's. Zell opened his mouth to allow Squall to take what he wanted. Zell felt both of Squalls' hands around his waist and he was pulled closer into Squall's warmth. Squall's tongue danced around his mouth, as though trying to remember everything. Zell pulled Squall tighter and held him until Squall finally pulled away. Even then, Squall didn't pull far away, he kept Zell close enough to rest his head on his shoulder.

"I won't shut you out," Squall said to Zell's shoulder. "You might have to remind me though."

Zell pulled Squall closer to him, wrapping both arms around him again. "I can do that," he said.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Sometime after midnight, the snow had started falling softly. Seifer was glad they had packed enough blankets to withstand a rather cold night. He hoped the snow would stay light until they made it back to Deling City.

Across the fire, Thyriss stirred in her sleep. Seifer glanced at her and then away. If he got tired, he would wake her for the second watch of the night. Zell could bitch about not having a fair turn in the morning if he wanted.

Seifer turned his gaze over to where Squall and Zell were asleep, curled up in each other's arms. He couldn't have told you who was holding who tighter but both looked like they had been getting the sleep they had been sorely lacking for the past week. Seifer felt a momentary tightening his stomach, a longing for Quistis. But she was much warmer than he was back at Deling City's hotel.

Seifer leaned his head back against the pillar behind him and watched the snow fall from the black sky. Squall was in for a hell of time. Being controlled by a Sorceress and breaking free of it was no joke. Seifer was surprised Squall had resisted as much as he had. He wondered idly if it was his relationship with the blond fighter he was now wrapped around. Seifer certainly could not have fought against Edea's - Ultimecia's- control.

Wait until Squall realized that he would never really free of her as long as she lived. That would be a fun conversation to have.

Well, it, and so many other things, would wait until morning. For now, Seifer enjoyed the quiet solitude of the night and peace that pervaded the small campsite.

_A/N: This one and the one before it was actually hard to write. I wasn't sure I wanted to reunite Squall and Zell soon, but I couldn't really justify extending it either. Let me know what you think!_


	8. Chapter 7 Brunch

Chapter 7- Brunch

"How is everyone?" Quistis asked, holding Seifer back from the small crowd gathered in Deling City's hotel lobby.

"You mean Squall?" Seifer asked, tilting his head at her.

Quistis nodded, her eyes sliding from Seifer's face to watch Squall's reunion with his father. That at least, seemed to be normal. Laguna had Squall in a tight embrace that Squall was only reluctantly allowing.

"He'll be fine," Seifer said. "Zell will keep him straight."

"You're sure?" Quistis asked.

"Sure enough," Seifer said. He pulled Quistis in and gave her a kiss.

Quistis allowed it for a moment before she pulled away. They did have work to do after all. She ignored Seifer's knowing chuckle as she walked up to the others.

"We have some decisions to make," she announced. She stifled her laughter as Squall pulled away rather quickly from his father.

"Can't they wait?" Laguna asked. "You know, till after breakfast?" After letting Squall go, Laguna flopped into the nearby chair.

"Breakfast?" Quistis asked. She glanced at the clock. "Adler and I have been up for hours."

"Leave me outta this," Adler said, holding up his hands and taking a step back. "I'm just here for information that you don't need anymore." He nodded briefly at Squall.

"As much as I hate to agree with the President, we didn't have breakfast yet," Thyriss added. "Although it is more time for lunch."

"Yeah so we should totally...hey!" Laguna turned a mock glare on Thyriss, "what was that supposed to mean?"

"That I'm hungry," Thyriss replied.

Quistis sighed. Unfortunately, the Sorceress had a very good point. "Fine. Food first. Then we have decisions to make." She glanced at Squall who seemed perfectly content to let her take charge for once.

"There's a small restaurant not far from here that serves a good brunch," Squall said, speaking up rather suddenly. "Rinoa and I used to frequent it." Quistis breathed a little easier. She had been concerned that Squall's ordeal would have affected more strongly.

"It does serve real food, though, right?" Zell asked. "Not anything too fancy?"

"A little class wouldn't hurt you much, Chicken," Seifer replied. He leaned an elbow Quistis' shoulder. Quistis was half-tempted to shove him off. Why in the world was he being so clingy when they had work to do?

"It serves real food, Zell," Squall said. "And there's no reason we can't form plans over breakfast. Lunch. Whatever."

"Well then, shall we?" Thyriss asked. Without waiting for the others, she grabbed hold of Adler's arm and started walking towards the door of the hotel.

"Wait up! I'm half-starved here," Laguna called, pulling himself to his feet and half-chasing after Thyriss and Adler. Squall and Zell followed a little more slowly.

Quistis looked at Seifer who hadn't moved from his position on her shoulder. "Are we going or are you going to continue to hang on me?" she asked, allowing her voice to contain a tinge of asperity.

"Yeah but first...do you see what I see?" Seifer asked, his voice low against her ear.

"See what?" Quistis asked.

"The way our Commander is almost hovering near Zell?"

Quistis watched. Sure enough, Squall was almost walking hand-in-hand with the smaller blond. Squall was never one for public displays of affection, no matter who his partner was. Typically, Squall would actually keep himself physically farther from Zell during a mission, which this most certainly was. She frowned. "Should be we concerned?" she asked.

"Nah, I don't think so. I'd like to get Thyriss alone and ask her for more confirmation, but I think its good," Seifer said, finally pulling away. "I dunno if he's aware of it or not, but he's definitely asking for help."

Quistis looked at her lover, her eyes narrowed. "Its not easy, being controlled by a Sorceress, is it?"

Seifer took a breath to respond but ended up just shaking his head. "My vote is we high-tail it back to Balamb put Leonhart and Dincht on leaves of absence and get our resident psychologist to give them the all-clear before they go back to work."

"I'll push for that," Quistis said. "Its a logical plan." Then the rest of the group could figure out what the hell Rinoa was up to collecting the Keys. Though it seemed to be a moot point now that they had Squall back.

"Nah. Leonhart's gonna want to track down Rinoa and figure out what the hell's going on," Seifer said.

"He's usually pretty logical, Seifer," Quistis said. "And he's Zell's top priority, we should be able to convince them that its for the best."

Seifer shook his head. "That's where you're wrong, love," he told her. He grinned but it lacked Seifer's usual easy humor. "If I was in his place, I'd want to rip the one who was controlling me apart. Believe me, sometimes I'm still mad at all of you for getting to Ultimecia before I could." Seifer's voice had a darker edge to it than Quistis had ever heard. It sent chills up her spine. "And we both know that Leonhart and I aren't so different at the core of things, right?"

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"We need to stop Rinoa," Squall said, setting his fork down on the empty plate. He lifted the cup of coffee to his lips and waited for the others to respond.

At this time of week, the cafe was nearly deserted. The group had taken a large table near the window to discuss their plans. In spite of the still freezing weather outside, the inside of the cafe was warm and cozy with a small fire burning not too far from the table.

Laguna looked mournfully at his dessert that had just arrived. "I thought we were waiting until after food," he said.

"Well, the rest of us _are_ done," Thyriss said. "And I agree. I'm not sure what exactly those Keys are, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to find out."

"You mean besides allowing you to do things like send a horde of dragons to harass a small rather insignificant town?" Zell asked with more bitterness than Squall thought he had ever heard come out of his lover.

"Dragons?" Thyriss asked. "Ormis could never control the dragons. Every other creature yes. But not dragons."

"Ormis had a Key that allowed him to control monsters?" Squall asked. He hated feeling a step behind. And that was a stupid question. Obviously, Thyriss had just said as much. "Then you two were behind the attacks."

"Way to keep up, Leonhart," Seifer said. "We covered this ages ago."

"Do you know any more about the Keys?" Quistis asked.

Squall pulled the chain that carried his two Keys from around his neck and studied them. The others waited patiently while Squall searched his memories. He hated how jumbled everything still was. "So, you already know that they grant powers to a Knight," Squall said.

"Covered that, yeah," Zell said.

"But why was Rinoa collecting them?" Quistis asked.

"I"m not sure," Squall said. "I think..." He thought back to that day in front of the Tomb, when the other Sorceress and her Knight had shown up. Damn, Squall wished he had been thinking more clearly. He couldn't even remember their names! "She was collecting them for someone. They...the other Sorceress...mentioned that she was supposed to find Quezacotl's Key next. In Trabia. Maybe."

"What other Sorceress?" Laguna asked. Squall saw him glance at Thyriss. "You know anything about other Sorceresses?"

"It wasn't Ellone, was it?" Quistis asked.

"What?" Zell responded as Squall shook his head. He would have remember Ellone. "Why the hell would you think that Sis was involved in this?"

"The only Sorceresses I know other than myself are Rinoa and Ellone," Thyriss said, answering Laguna.

"Ellone is the only other Sorceress I know," Quistis said. At the same time her lover said,"don't be so defensive, Chicken."

"How many Sorceresses are there?" Adler asked.

Squall held up his hand for silence. His head was throbbing. And it wasn't just the noise the small group was making. "The point is that we don't have any answers," he said once the others had shut up. "But we need to find them. I don't know who Rinoa was working for or why they want the Keys, but I intend to find out."

"You belong in Balamb," Laguna said. "Rinoa is going to want you back and Balamb is the safest place."

"Where she took me from last time?" Squall asked. "Not exactly secure."

"I wouldn't let you go off with her again," Zell said. "Shouldn't have let you the first time." His voice was more tense than usual. "Balamb would be safe."

Squall shook his head and placed the Keys down on the table. With his now free hand, he reached over and grabbed Zell's, for once not giving a damn that he was being watched. Fuck being a professional for this once. Quistis could scold him later. "Not your fault," he told Zell, giving the hand a light squeeze and offering Zell a tight smile that Zell returned. Squall turned his attention back to the others. "But I'm not going to hide in Balamb. I need to see myself what's going on."

"Right," Seifer said. "But I think the best place to figure this shit out isn't Balamb or Trabia," he said.

"Where then?" Quistis asked.

"Esthar." Siefer turned to Laguna. "You guys have been doing research on Sorceresses for longer than any of us. There must be something hidden away in your libraries. I know Ellone started research but some of us should drop by there to help her."

"There are lots of books about Sorceress powers there," Thyriss said. "But I'm not even sure this is necessary. It takes a Sorceress and her Knight to get the Key out. Rinoa has no Knight."

"Couldn't she just make a new one?" Adler asked.

Thyriss shook her head.

"The Bond's for life," Seifer said. "Until Squall dies, she's incapable of making a new one."

The brunch that Squall had just finished sat heavily in his stomach at the thought. "So I'm Bound to her until one of us dies?" he asked.

Thyriss nodded. "And, unless I'm mistaken, you'll feel it too. Its..not pleasant."

The air suddenly felt far too stifling with this many people breathing at the same table as him. The noise was too loud and the sun was too bright. The once-comfortable room felt sweltering, which was probably the cause of Squall's sudden urge to vomit

Squall dropped Zell's hand and pushed himself away from the table suddenly. He needed space, fresh air, something.

The ice cold air of the outdoors struck Squall with full force, temporarily making it hard to breath. Squall leaned against the brick of the cafe, ignoring the looks he was getting from the few people passing on the street. He couldn't seem to catch his breath properly.

Squall closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. He felt like an idiot. Like a child who couldn't stand to hear bad news and had to run away. Which was precisely how he was acting. Not like the bloody Commander of a Garden that had defeated not just one Sorceress, but two.

"Feeling better?" Zell's voice snapped Squall's attention away from his own inner monologue.

Squall swallowed the bile that had been slowly rising in the back of throat and nodded.

"Liar," Zell said. He leaned up against the wall next to Squall, touching their shoulders together.

Squall didn't really have a good response to that. Zell was right.

They stood like that for several minutes. Squall allowed himself to just enjoy Zell's presence. It was nice. Not to think about things for a minute.

Eventually, Squall's panic receded and he was able to think clearly again. "I'm going to Trabia to find out what Rinoa's up to." He looked at Zell to see his reaction. It was a stupid idea. Squall should be back in Balamb. Being anywhere near Rinoa right now as a dumb thing to do. But Squall _couldn't_ just let this go. As long as she was out there doing..whatever it was she was doing, she was a threat. And Squall did not run away from threats.

Zell nodded. "Right. I'm coming to. But Seifer's idea had merit."

Squall felt a wave of appreciation and affection for Zell's ability to understand. "Fine. We'll split in two. Half of us will go to Trabia to see what Rinoa's up to. The others will head to Esthar and help Ellone look for information." Squall frowned as he thought. Adler was a better field agent but his specialty was finding information. Perhaps it was time to see how he did in ancient libraries. Quistis had duties back at Balamb that meant she couldn't be out of contact for as long as might be necessary. Therefore she and Seifer would also go to Esthar. His father would go with them for obvious reasons. Thyriss, he and Zell would go after Rinoa. Then again..."I'm ready," Squall said. He pushed himself off the wall and entered the small cafe for the second time.

The others had apparently all decided that dessert was in order. There was even a slice of chocolate cake waiting for him and Zell. Squall almost smiled at the thougt.

"Decide anything, Commander?" Quistis asked as Squall took his seat. Zell slid in beside him.

"Hey, thanks for the dessert," Zell said.

Squall nodded. He picked up fork and toyed with the cake before answering. "Thyriss, Zell, and I will continue to Trabia to find Rinoa and see if we can get more information that way. The rest of you will return to Esthar to help look for information."

Quistis frowned. Squall could tell she wasn't happy with the plan.

"Nah, I'm coming with you, Squall," Seifer said. "Just in case you need help bashing Rinoa's head in."

Squall opened his mouth to protest but then thought better of it. He nodded. Seifer had a point. Another good one. He was getting good at making those. "Fine."

"That sounds like a plan then," Quistis said.

"Not quite," Thyriss said. "Let's assume that whoever Rinoa is working for wants these Keys for reasons we don't want them to have it. What do we do then?"

"Meet up and figure it out then?" Zell suggested.

"And what about Trabia's Key?" Thyriss asked. "We know that this person has another Sorceress and Knight working for them. Which means that they can extract the Key. We should have a way to get the Key first."

Laguna frowned. "Why are you assuming the worst case scenario?" he asked.

"Because that's what you do," Squall said.

Thyriss shook her head. "Its not just that," she said. "I _know_ Ormis was working for someone. I don't know who, or why, or what, but I know he didn't want the Keys for himself. Each time we picked up one, he would disappear for a few days. I never asked him where he went or why he left. He didn't want me to know. Whoever he was working for was dangerous." She frowned. "What happened to his Keys anyway?" she asked Laguna.

"I have no idea. You went through everything he had," Laguna said.

"And the Keys weren't there." Thryiss shook her head.

"Whoever he was working for collected them, then," Quistis said. "And most likely has something to do with his mysterious death."

"Another reason to make sure we get the Keys," Squall said, agreeing to Thyriss. "But we need a Sorceress-Knight team."

Thyriss took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I can take another Knight. Ormis is dead. Mourning him forever won't help anything and would be counter-productive at this point."

"Or Ellone could," Zell said.

"No. I'm not putting her in danger again," Laguna said. "I like her nice and safe in Esthar."

"Me too," Squall said. "She has no battle training."

"Which is why I'm here and not her," Thyriss said. She smiled. "All I need is a volunteer. The Bond does not have to be romantic. It can be anything. Like Mother and Son." Thyriss nodded at Seifer.

"Heh. I'm not volunteering for this one," Seifer said. "Once was enough for me."

"I can do it," Laguna said.

"Why?" Squall asked. "I thought you want to head back to Esthar."

Laguna smiled easily. "Because you're not gonna be safe until we deal with Rinoa. So I'm going to do everything I can to help."

Squall found he didn't really have a response to that.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Rinoa's throat was dry as she walked into the room. Rinoa didn't know the precise location of the room; she had never been granted that knowledge.

The room was stone and round, dominated by a single obelisk that ran from ceiling to floor. Around the obelisk was a round flat surface with twenty key-shaped holes in them. Above each hole was an etching representing a Guardian Force.

Rinoa had been in this room only twice before. It was behind the library where she usually studied while staying with the Man.

The Man was waiting, his back to the entrance. "Ah, Rinoa. I'm glad that Etris was able to deliver my message."

Rinoa entered the room. It was chilly in here. Like it had been outside. "Yes, sir," she said. She stopped near the entrance, hands behind her back. Almost as though she was at attention.

"What did you think of the Sayptor Siblings? They've been working for me since they were much younger," the Man said. "They haven't managed to fail me yet."

Rinoa felt a flush creep up her cheeks. "I can get him back," she said.

The Man rounded her her, his green eyes flashing with barely contained anger. "Oh can you?" he asked, his voice mocking. Rinoa flinched. She didn't know if he would actually physically harm her but... "Do you know how long I've waited? How long its taken me to find the few Keys I have? And you, with your foolish choice of Knight have just wasted years, no centuries, of my time? Do you even have the two Keys you managed to collect you stupid girl?"

Rinoa shook her head. "T-they w-were with S-squall." She hated how her voice wavered.

"They were with Squall," the Man repeated. "Well, you're just going to have to get them back, aren't you?"

Rinoa nodded. "Yes, sir." Maybe he was giving her another chance. Perhaps she would be lucky and he wouldn't do anything...

"Yes, you will get them back. Because you want your Knight back. And the only way to do that is to go after him."

"He'll go to Trabia," Rinoa said. "He'll come for me. He won't leave me alive as long as I'm a threat to him."

"And with both the Former Knight and that idiotic Sorceress there, he will know that he won't be free of you," the Man said, as he started pacing. "Yes, that does make sense. A lot of sense. You'll go to Trabia and recover the Keys from him. At any cost."

"Yes, sir," Rinoa said. She stood up a little straighter.

The Man stopped pacing. "But first, I think you need a little lesson. A reminder of why you don't make mistakes when you're working for me." The Man walked past Rinoa and into the room she had just come from. "Come, child. Let me instruct you..."

Obediently, Rinoa followed the Man through the library and down into the room where her most severe lessons had taken place. The lessons on obedience.


	9. Chapter 8 Trabia

Chapter 8- Trabia

Trabia was even colder than Galbadia had been. Laguna hadn't even been certain he could land the Valhalla in the snowstorm that was covering the ground beneath them.

"We could always go to Esthar together," Laguna had suggested. "Come back in the Spring."

But Squall had overridden his father. Zell had been a little concerned at the rocky landing, and Squall's insistence on it in spite of safety. As the disembarkation ramp descended, Zell watched Squall out of the corner of his eye. He tried to not be too obvious about it.

As soon as the ramp descended, Squall was off of it and headed toward the Garden. He didn't wait to say goodbye to Quistis and Adler who were still following the original plan and heading back to Esthar.

"Not like he was one for goodbyes," Quistis remarked as he left.

Zell shrugged. "Still, he usually tolerates them a little. Even if does just stand off in the corner by brooding by himself."

"Don't worry, love," Seifer said. "We'll take care of him." Zell looked away as Seifer pulled Quistis in for a kiss. He watched the snow swirling below him and shivered a little. He wondered if Xu had even informed Selphie of Squall's disappearance.

They said their goodbyes quickly. Seifer seemed reluctant to let go of Quistis and Zell couldn't blame him. Laguna had several last minute instructions for Quistis on how to fly the Valhalla. Then, Zell made sure he was the second one off of the ship.

Once away from the Valhalla's shielding influence, the wind knocked into Zell full force. It tore right through his many layers of clothing. Fortunately, they had landed close to the Garden and it wasn't a long walk to the open doors.

Zell ran for them and was relieved when he entered the warm hallway of Trabia Garden. Before he could brush the snow off, he was enveloped in a tight hug.

"Zell!" Selphie squealed. "Why didn't you guys tell me you were coming?" Selphie let go of Zell and allowed him to get a good look at her. The Commander of Trabia Garden had let her hair grow all the way down to her shoulders and had put on a little weight. Zell knew better than to mention that last bit to her. She could still kick his ass, he was sure.

"We didn't know until last minute," Zell said. "You look good, Selph."

"And you look like you haven't been sleeping at all!" Selphie replied. "You and Squall fighting?"

Zell shook his head but his response was cut off by Selphie's enthusiastic greeting of 'Sir' Laguna. Zell laughed out loud at Selphie's antics around one of her childhood crushes. Selphie then turned her attention to Seifer who seemed genuinely startled by her hug.

"Is she always like this?" Thyriss whispered to Zell.

Zell just laughed again. It felt good to laugh. He hadn't been doing enough of that lately. "Always," he said.

Selphie turned her attention to the rest of them. "Squall already went up to our Conference Room. What's going on?"

"Xu never contacted you?" Seifer asked.

Selphie shook her head. "No. Why?" She frowned.

"We'll fill you in once we're all together," Zell said. He wanted to catch up to Squall anyway. "Where's Irvine?"

"In the Conference Room already with Edea and Anys." Selphie said. "This way, in case you don't remember." She offered a large grin to Thyriss as she walked by. "Pleasure to see you again, Sorceress."

"I'm not sure Squall's in the mood to deal with the girls," Zell said, falling into step beside Selphie. "We've had a bit of rough..."

"What Zell's dancing around is the Commander's a moody bastard," Seifer said.

"Watch your language, Almassy," Selphie said with mock severity. "I won't have those words said around my daughters." She giggled. "Not like Irvine doesn't use worse daily."

Trabia's hallways were painted a warm yellow. The layout of the Garden was similar to both Galbadia and Balamb, though Zell noted the students were younger than both places and they seemed to laugh and chatter more. With Selphie as their Commander, Zell wasn't surprised. The woman had never lost her touch for bringing joy wherever she went. Maybe Trabia would be a good place to hang out for a while. If he could just convince Squall to wait out the snowstorm.

The Conference Room was on the second story of the Garden. It didn't take long to reach it. As they walked, Selphie filled them in on all the local gossip of Trabia, her mouth going a mile a minute. Zell half-tuned her out, knowing that Selphie would forgive his distraction.

Zell entered the Conference Room right behind Selphie. Irvine was leaning on the long, rectangular table that dominated the wood-paneled room. Squall was in a chair, holding baby Anys in his arms. Little Edea ran up to give Zell a hug, her brown curls flying as she did so. "Uncle Zell!" she said. Screamed more like it.

Zell bent down to swoop the three-year old up in a hug. "Long time no see, little one," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Edea's blue eyes widened at the people behind her. She leaned close to Zell. "Who're they?" she asked.

Zell turned. "You remember Seifer, don't you?" he asked.

Beside him, Edea nodded. "Course!" She waved enthusiastically. Seifer nodded once and moved away. Zell hid his laughter. Seifer was never quite comfortable around Selphie's children, though he had been around them enough.

"And this is Thyriss, a friend of ours," Zell said, turning to the Sorceress. Friend was the easiest way to describe her. A murdering bitch who killed his mother was probably not the appropriate way to introduce her. Then again, apparently it hadn't been her after all anyway. It was easier not to dwell on it. Like her or not, he still had to work with her if he wanted to beat Rinoa.

Thyriss smiled. "Aren't you just a darling," she said.

Edea grinned. "You're very pretty. I like your hair." She twisted in Zell's arms. "Was that a good compliment, Mommy?"

"You're doing fine, dear," Selphie said.

"And this is Laguna," Zell said, turning to the president.

"Always a pleasure to meet such a beautiful young lady," Laguna, shaking Edea's hand. The little girl giggled and buried her head in Zell's neck.

Zell pulled away from the door to go sit by Squall, suppressing a smile at how comfortable he looked with the infant in his lap.

"Well?" Selphie asked. "Come in, sit down. Irvine will take the kids and get us something to drink, won't you, dear?"

Irvine tipped his ever present cowboy hat. "Sure thing, little lady," he said, pushing himself off the table. "C'mon 'Dea. Time to go back to Miss Jannie."

"Do I have to?" Edea asked.

"We're going to be discussing business, Edea," Squall told the young girl. "Zell and I will stop by before you go to bed."

Edea pursed her lips as she visibly thought over Squall's comment. Zell was glad to hear that Squall didn't intend to leave right this moment. Unless he thought he could be back by the girl's bedtime. "Fine." Edea announced. She jumped down to the ground. Irvine took his younger daughter from Squall and ushered the room with a comment to not start anything before he got back.

Selphie took the seat next to Zell. She motioned for Seifer, Laguna, and Thyriss to do the same. "Now, what in the world are you five doing showin' up here outta the blue?" she asked, leaning back in her chair. "I'm always glad to see you but this is..." she pursed her lips in thought, "unusual." She fixed Squall with her green eyes.

Squall dropped his gaze rather quickly from Selphie's. "We'll wait for Irvine," he said shortly. He fixed his gaze on the door Irvine had just left through.

Selphie looked at Zell, confusion evident in her eyes. Zell shrugged. "Let's wait for Irvine," he said. He wanted to grab Squall's hand or jostle him out of his thoughts but refrained from both.

"Its a long story," Laguna said. "No need to tell it more than once."

"Right. But what did Rinoa do now?" Selphie asked.

Squall turned his attention back to Selphie. "Who mentioned Rinoa?"

Selphie pointed to Thyriss. "She wouldn't be here unless you were going up against another Sorceress."

Thyriss chuckled. "It is sort of obvious," she said.

Selphie blew her bangs up out of her face. "I'm telling you, Irvine should have let me go after her when she first broke up with Squall."

"But then we wouldn't have had such a delightful surprise," Irvine said, coming back into the room. In his hand was tray with several steaming pots and empty cups on it. "Here are. Coffee and hot chocolate and tea for whoever wants what." He set the tray down on the table and took a seat next to Selphie. "Now, how about we get down to business."

Seifer took up the story while the others sipped their hot drinks and offered occasional input. It didn't take long but when he was done, everyone was agreed that whatever Rinoa was up, she needed to be stopped.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Thyriss looked up as the door to the small, empty classroom she had claimed opened. There were several wooden desks that had been pushed against the walls, out of range of Thyriss' spellweaving.

Thyriss herself was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her room. She had been concentrating on crafting the spell that would Bind Laguna to her. It would take some time as each Binding Spell had to be unique to the two people involved. She couldn't just reuse the one she had created for Ormis. Not only would it have been monstrously unfair to everyone involved, the spell wouldn't work and Binding wouldn't hold.

Thyriss was unsurprised when the object of her thoughts entered into the room. Laguna most likely had several questions for her that they hadn't had time to answer yet. Which was fair enough. Thyriss had several for him as well.

"Am I bothering you?" Laguna asked.

Thyriss shook her head. "I was merely starting the preparation for the spell. It will... take a while."

"How long, exactly?" Laguna asked. He looked around, presumably for a chair. Seeing them pushed to the side, Laguna awkwardly sat on the floor across from Thyriss.

"Several days at least. Why? In a hurry?"

Laguna shook his head. "The opposite actually," he said. "The longer you take, the longer we can put off going after the Key."

Thyriss nodded. "Give your son a chance to recover. Makes sense."

"Right. That's what I was thinking. So...it'll be long time?"

"I can make it take longer, if you want." Thyriss pursed her lips. "I don't need to give anyone a definite time anyway, even if I could. The length of time to create a spell varies for several reasons. We can always keep an eye on him and finish the spell when he's looking better." Of course Seifer or the boy's lover would have to judge that. Thyriss certainly wasn't capable of it. "You can let me know when."

Laguna nodded. He made no move to get up.

"Was there something else?" Thyriss asked. She hoped she didn't sound impatient.

"What...I mean, are you okay with this?" Laguna asked. "I don't want to drag Elle into this any more than she is but if you really don't want to, I guess I could."

"Don't be silly. Ellone doesn't know the spell and the most spellcrafting she's ever done is to create her Connections," Thyriss said. "I understand, however, it would be more comfortable for you to Bond with Ellone. A daughter-father Bond should work, as I understand it. After all, Seifer and Edea had a mother-son Bonding." Though Thyriss had not realized it at the time. She had assumed that all Bonds were romantic only to be thoroughly disabused of that notion when they had met up with Quistis. "Of course, that would defeat the purpose of not getting Ellone involved. But yes, I'm fine with it. As long as you are. If you're not it's completely fine and I would be more than happy to teach Ellone..." Thyriss trailed off, suddenly aware that she was babbling.

"Its fine," Laguna said. "I just...wanted to make sure." He ran his fingers through his hair. "What...is there anything I need to do?" he asked.

Thyriss took a deep breath. "The only thing you need to do...well, it works better if I get to know you," she said. "Right now it's … sort of like an arranged marriage. It will work, we'll function, but it won't be a real Bond, which might not be enough to call the Key. It was rather difficult the two times Ormis and I did so."

Laguna nodded. "So, like we should spend time together then."

Thyriss nodded. "Not too much time. I'm sure it wouldn't look good for Esthar's president to have a Sorceress hanging around him."

"There's Ellone."

"Does anyone know she's a Sorceress? She wasn't too sure herself until I told her."

Laguna shrugged. "You might have a point then. You're right." He paused for a moment, lost in thought. "We should be all right here in Trabia. I'll talk to Selphie tomorrow."

Thyriss nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, one last thing," Laguna said. "You've been implying that the Bond needs to be a certain type in order to work. Like..." Laguna trailed off, apparently unsure where to go.

Yes, the Bond does have to be specific," Thyriss said. "And no, I haven't quite decided how to handle our yet. Like I said, I'm treating this like something similar to an arranged marriage." Damn, she hoped she didn't accidentally insult the President with that statement. But it made the most sense. "If I used one of the younger gentlemen, I would aim for a mother-son sort of Bond but..."

"I'm too old and the others are clearly off limits," Laguna finished for her. "Right, I get it." He stood up, clearly finished with the conversation. Awkward as it was, Thyriss couldn't blame him. "So yeah...wanna get dinner in the cafeteria?"

Thyriss raised her eyebrows at the man. "You're sure?"

Laguna shrugged. "You said we needed to spend time together for the Bond to work, right? So, let's get dinner." He held out his hand to help Thyriss to her feet.

Thyriss took the hand and allowed Laguna to help her up so they could head to dinner.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Squall stopped just outside of the door to the room he was sharing with Zell.

"...fine, really," Zell was saying. His voice had that slight whine that it tended to develop when he was trying to convince someone of something that wasn't true. "I'm more worried about Squall."

"Squall has the entire Garden and then some worried about him." Selphie's voice cut through the door rather sharply. She sounded annoyed. "_You're_ the one who looks exhausted."

"I'm not the one who was controlled by that _bitch_. Selph, you should have seen him that night. I-I thought.." Zell's voice trailed off in a tell-tale roughness that Squall had only heard once or twice from his lover.

Swallowing thickly, Squall stepped away from the door. He didn't want to hear any more. Zell had Selphie's shoulder and cry on and that was good for him. He had obvious reasons for not wanting to burden Squall with his emotional troubles right now and Squall could understand and respect that. Besides, it wasn't as though Squall was being the most communicative person right now anyway. And he certainly wasn't jealous that his lover had turned to another person for emotional support instead of him. No, that made sense and was completely logical considering the circumstances. Zell was actually being considerate of Squall's feelings and ability to process emotions and Squall had absolutely no reason to feel upset at Zell's choice of confidants. In fact, if Squall had been thinking at all, he would have suggested it himself. But that was the problem wasn't it? He wasn't taking care of Zell. Of course Zell had been through almost as much as Squall had and of course he would need to talk about it. Unlike Squall, Zell was a very vocal person who felt the need to share everything and Squall was certainly not being a very attentive lover by shutting Zell out.

The cold air hit Squall's full in the face and brought him up short as the snow swirled around him. He hadn't even been aware that he was walking anywhere.

Squall took a deep breath. He felt almost physically ill. His stomach was in knots and his knees shaky. He was an idiot who couldn't even be there for the one person who had always been there for him.

"What are you doing out here without even a coat on?"

Squall startled and turned to see Seifer lounging near the doorway, almost as though he'd been there for hours. He couldn't have been, however, since there was little snow on him. He must have come outside while Squall was thinking.

"What are you doing?" Squall asked. "Following me?" He scowled in Seifer's general direction. The last thing he wanted right now was the red-head's insubordinate and smart-ass comments.

Seifer lazily pushed himself off from Trabia's wall and smirked at Squall. "Just making sure the pretty little damsel doesn't get himself captured again. I would hate to have to run off again and rescue you."

That fucking bastard! Before he was fully aware of what he was doing, Squall had drawn his gunblade and charged towards Seifer. Seifer caught the blade with his own. Squall's blade swung to the left while Seifer took a step back. "You wanna go?" the redhead asked. "I'm ready."

Squall growled and brought his gunblade in a downward arc to attack Seifer. Seifer blocked with own blade. Squall hit again and again, furiously. Each block was neatly caught by Seifer. The red-head occasionally gave ground to Squall but not often.

The ground beneath them was a muddy mess by the time Squall realized that Seifer had not once attacked him back. Squall stopped and lowered his gunblade to the ground, panting heavily. Sweat dripped into his eyes. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. For the first time, he felt the chill of the snow falling around him.

"Better?" Seifer asked, his breath coming in small puffs of air though he was not struggling to catch his breath.

Squall nodded mutely. He sheathed his gunblade and took a deep breath. His cheeks felt like they were burning. It wasn't like him to lose control like that. Not to anyone, especially not Seifer. "Thanks," he said.

"Anytime, Leonhart," Seifer said. "Let's get back in before we freeze out here." Seifer brushed some snow off of his coat and started walking towards the Garden.

Squall followed. "Next time you want a fight, just ask," he said.

"Nah, its more fun to see you get all worked up."

Irvine was waiting for them near the doorway, snow collecting on his hat. "You two finished" the man asked. "The students saw the two of you fighting and ran to get me. I got here just as you stopped."

"We're good," Squall said as he passed through the door into Trabia's warmth. He felt goosebumps run up his spine at the temperature change.

"Just letting Leonhart clear his head," Seifer said. "Where's the cafeteria, I'm starving."


	10. Chapter 9 Lectures and Information

Chapter 9- Lectures and Information

Selphie left Zell asleep on his bed and slipped out the door as silently as she was able. On the way out, she turned around to close the door softly behind her. The guest rooms in Trabia weren't very large but they did suffice for the few visitors the snow-ridden Garden received.

The door closed with a soft thud and Selphie turned around to run right into a solid wall of cloth. Selphie jumped back with a little 'wuff' and looked up into Squall's blue eyes. His arms were on her shoulder to steady her. "Careful," he said.

Cold practically radiated off of the man. Had he been outside without a coat? Squall was so much smarter than that. "You're freezing!" Selphie said. A little too loudly. She quickly hushed herself and moved away from the door, pulling Squall with her. "Where is your jacket?"

Squall's lips twisted in a half-smile. "Since when did you become my mother?" he asked.

Selphie narrowed her eyes at the man. He sounded almost like himself. "Since I had two kids of my own. Its a _blizzard_ out there Squall. _Blizzard_. That means cold!"

"I'm fine," Squall said. He nodded towards the door. "How's Zell?"

Selphie stilled herself and looked at the door herself. "Exhausted. But he'll be okay." She beamed her best smile at Squall. "You'll be fine, too."

Squall shrugged. Selphie hadn't really expected another response out of the man. When things were okay, he was taciturn. Zell had indicated that he was waffling these days between ice cold and completely lost. "Thanks for looking after him."

There was something else that Squall wasn't saying. "No problem, Squall," Selphie said. "Sometimes it helps to talk to someone not directly involved."

"Especially when I haven't exactly been..." Squall trailed off but Selphie could finish the sentence without help from him.

"Bullshit, Squall," Selphie said. "Zell told me how much you _have_ been trying. We all know you're both exhausted and I don't think anyone other than Seifer knows exactly what you've been through. Truthfully, I wouldn't want to know, Squall and I'm sorry that Rinoa forced you like that. You both need time to work through this and no one expects you to be there for Zell when you're like this." Selphie knew that her voice had risen a few octaves during her mini-tirade. As long as she didn't wake Zell up, she didn't care and Trabia's walls were pretty soundproof.

Squall swallowed and offered Selphie another tentative smile. Zell had been right when he said Squall was lost. "Thanks," he said again, his voice barely above a whisper.

Selphie nodded and reached out to pat Squall on the shoulder. "Go get some rest, Squall." She pulled away and gave Squall her biggest grin. "Just warm-up a little first. You go into bed like that and I'll laugh my ass silly when Zell kicks you sky high!" Truthfully, he had warmed up a little now.

Squall nodded and turned away from her to enter the room.

As he left, Selphie let her smile slide off of her face with a sigh. She suddenly felt exhausted. Underneath the exhaustion though, there was the familiar burning sensation of anger. Straightening herself up, Selphie marched through the hallway back to her conference room. She had a phone call to make.

Selphie did run into a couple small groups of students on their way to or from class. Most of them took one look at her face and scurried away quickly. Though Selphie was a wonderful and fun Commander, when she was in one of her moods, even senior staff ducked out of her way.

Selphie's conference room was empty. Good. If Irvine was with the girls instead of waiting for her here, she could get her piece out without being dragged away by her husband. And without the girls here, she could really give Xu a piece of her mind.

She turned on the tele-conferencer and punched in the code for Balamb Garden. Then she took the seat on the edge of her desk and waited, legs and arms crossed.

Nida answered after a short amount of time. "Selphie? What can I do for you?" Even he looked tired. Squall's disappearance would be making itself felt in Balamb. Selphie wondered when the group had reported in last. She supposed that if she was a better Commander she would have asked that first.

Selphie didn't let her thoughts show and kept her face rather blank. "I need to talk to the Commander," she said deadpanned.

Nida opened his mouth to answer but then hesitated. "Give me a moment and I'll call Xu up," he said. "Is something wrong? You look...upset."

"Nothing's wrong. I just need to speak to Squall. Now." This really wasn't fair to Nida. He was just following orders after all.

"Let me get Xu."

"Xu's not the Commander." Hyne, but it was getting harder and harder not to giggle.

"She'll explain."

"I'll bet."

A few awkward moments later, Xu herself appeared in the screen. Nida moved off-screen, presumably to complete whatever task Xu had been doing before she was summoned to the office. "What can I do for you, Commander Kinneas?" Xu asked.

"Where's Squall?" Selphie asked. Now she was furious again. "I need to speak with him and him only." She paused. Selphie was never this unreasonable. "Well, Zell would do as well," she amended.

"They're unavailable."

"Oh?" Selphie asked. She wondered if Xu would actually go so far as to lie to her face. Garden Security was one thing and Selphie would have been furious if they had let Martine know that Balamb's Commander was missing but damn it, she was their friend! And a former SeeD at Balamb. She should bloody well be informed when things like this happened. Especially since Trabia's expertise was in _finding information_.

"President Loire invited them to Esthar for a vacation."

Selphie almost laughed right in Xu's face. "They just returned from a vacation. You mean that Squall went on two vacations within weeks of each other?"

Before Xu could think of a response, Irvine walked through the door to the office. "You won't believe who I just saw getting all sweet and cozy down in the cafeteria, Selph," Irvine said.

Selphie turned to shush the man before he could ruin her game.

Irvine either didn't see her signal or ignored her in favor of Xu. "Well, Xu, I guess you're glad we got Squall back safe and sound."

There was a pregnant pause while Xu digested the information.

Xu turned her attention to Selphie. "Were you just watching me scramble?" she demanded. "Because of all the fool times to be pulling this, Tilmitt, this not the time."

Selphie sniffed. "You were the one keeping secrets, Xu," she said. She offered a glare to Irvine who just shrugged her off. She would get him back later.

"I was not keeping secrets," Xu said. "The safety of the Garden..."

"Would have been better helped by letting me know that my _friend_ had been captured by Rinoa," Selphie said, raising her voice slightly. She used her best 'Commander' tone. The one that tended to send misbehaving students running.

Xu was not, however, a misbehaving student. "You call here demanding to see Squall knowing full well that we don't have the slightest idea where he is? How did you find out about all this anyway?"

"Trabia's specialty is information," Selphie said.

"The Valhalla landed here with the party not too long ago," Irvine said. Selphie shot him a glare but, as usual when he was being 'reasonable', Irvine ignored it. "Squall was taken back into custody. He, Seifer, Zell, Laguna, and Thyriss are here pursuing Rinoa," Irvine said. "Quistis and Radomil headed to Esthar to see if they could dig up information."

"I'll let Squall know you want full details when he wakes up," Selphie said. She turned off the tele-conferencer. There was no point now that Irvine had ruined her game.

"Don't be a child, Selph," Irvine said. "Xu had her reasons not to say anything to us."

"Not good reasons," Selphie said. She was pouting. This wasn't very mature of her. She sighed. "You're right. I'll stop laying into Xu for now."

Irvine walked up and wrapped his arm around Selphie, pulling her close and planting a kiss on her lips. "Good idea. It's almost dinner time, you know."

Selphie nodded, pushed Irvine away and jumped off the table. Family dinners were something that she insisted on at every opportunity. She wouldn't keep the girls waiting just so she could be childish. "Fine, let's go. But I'm not done with you yet."

"I should hope not," Irvine chuckled as they left the room.

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Rinoa woke, her back a mass of throbbing pain. She was laying on her stomach, naked from the waist up. The room was warm enough that she didn't require a sheet, which was good since the sheet would simply stick to her aching back.

With a small grown, Rinoa pushed herself to her elbows, wondering what woke her. She glanced around the room. The main feature was the large, plush bed she slept in. To the right was an old-fashioned wooden wardrobe. In the corner was an open door that led to a bathroom.

Rinoa rolled to her side and sat up, careful not to agitate her back more than necessary. Her obedience lesson had been painful but it was necessary. Rinoa knew what she had to do now. If she had taught Squall the same way her mentor had taught her, he would not be in enemy hands now. She needed to get him back so that she could prove her loyalty.

_~About time you are awake. Clean yourself up and meet me in the Key Room.~_

Rinoa didn't question how she heard him. She moved to obey.

The bathtub was luxurious, if only Rinoa had time to enjoy it. The water stung as it touched the wounds on her back. Unfortunately, Rinoa did not have the capability of cleaning the wounds herself. There was nothing for her to do but hope she had cleaned off the worst of the blood and hope she did not re-open the scabs that had formed overnight.

Then, Rinoa dressed herself in the clothes found in the wardrobe. She selected a long, gray dress that was terribly revealing. It clung too tightly to her to be truly comfortable but it was the only thing the wardrobe that a low enough back that it would not touch the wounds.

Taking as deep a breath as she could, Rinoa turned and left the room. It was the same room she had stayed in as a student and she knew the way to the library, and the formerly locked room behind it.

The hideaway was set up as a large and spacious mansion. Rinoa's room was on the top floor, the library on the second. The halls were wide and decorated with a lush carpet and many portraits of men and women that Rinoa had never seen before. As opulent as the mansion was, it was also covered with a fine layer of dust. The only other person Rinoa had ever seen present in these rooms was her mentor.

Rinoa entered the room at the back of the library. He was standing there, in front of the stone pillar again, his back to her.

Rinoa came into the room, unsure of her welcome. He was quite furious with her yesterday. She hoped the fury would have passed.

"I was never angry at you, Rinoa," the man said. He turned to Rinoa, his green eyes sparkling with something. "I was disappointed. So very disappointed." He held out his hand to her.

Rinoa stepped up beside him. "I understand. I failed. I'm sorry." She hung her head.

"Don't be sorry. You will succeed next time. The fault was mine for improper training." The man's voice was kind and Rinoa looked up to see him smiling down at her. "You are something special, Rinoa. Has anyone ever told you?"

Blushing, Rinoa shook her head.

"You are, my dear. You contain the power of two Sorceresses within you. With proper training, you have the capability of being much more powerful. Its time that I see to that training. I should have done so before." The man pulled away from her and walked towards the stone pillar in the center of the room. "Would you like to see something, Rinoa?" he asked.

Rinoa nodded.

The man touched the pillar. Rinoa felt him do something magical, though she could not identify what.

The pillar paled in color to a light, transparent blue. Slowly, the outline of a figure became visible through the pillar. As the pillar continued to change, the outline shifted to that of a woman.

Rinoa took a step closer to the pillar as the woman's features came into view. "She's beautiful," Rinoa said, her voice barely a whisper. She was beautiful. Her hair was loose and fell to her knees. Her face was a petite heart-shape that Rinoa had often envied. Her eyes were closed and her arms were crossed over chest, as though she was dead. She was clothed in a flowing gown. The pillar's blue color tinted everything blue so that Rinoa could not make out the colors.

"She is, isn't she." The man's voice held a hint of sadness to it. "She is my Sorceress."

Rinoa turned to look at the man. "Your...Sorceress?"

"I am a Knight," the man said. "She is the reason I am still alive, after all these years."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm Bound to her until she releases me. Or she dies. Since she has done neither, I still live."

"...until she releases you? I thought you said..."

"To release a Knight is to kill them, Rinoa. I didn't think that was an option."

Rinoa took a step back and shook her head violently. "Its not. I still love him. I just need to...teach him."

"That is correct, Sorceress," the man replied.

Rinoa caught her breath. She wasn't sure why was panicked. It wasn't like the man had suggested she kill Squall. "So...is she in here so that she doesn't die?" Rinoa asked.

The man nodded. "Its been a long time. A very long time," he said. "She needs to wait just a little longer until I gather all the Keys."

"Why? What do you intend to do with them?" Rinoa asked.

The man smiled. "I intend to regain what I lost, years and years ago. And I think you are finally the Sorceress I was waiting for to make it happen."

Rinoa felt a chill run up her spine at those words. She would be useful. Finally, someone who wanted her around.

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"Y'know, I'm an expert on getting information out of people, not books," Adler said. He flopped in the chair rather noisily.

Quistis looked up, half expecting the librarian to shush them. Ellone giggled.

"This is what Squall told us to do," Quistis said. "So we'll do it." She frowned at the pile of books around her. After arriving late last night, Quistis and Adler had been given rooms and gone right to bed. Ellone had woken them both up for a quick breakfast and an early start this morning. By herself, Ellone had only been able to check a couple dozen of the hundreds of books on Sorcery in the library. Adel and Odine had apparently been collecting for years before Laguna had shown up and the President, in a rare moment of insight, had kept the collection going, even though no one had time to look through them. It was shame Odine has passed away years ago. His insight might have been helpful.

"Here's something about Keys," Ellone said.

"What?" Adler asked, picking his head up from the back of the chair.

Ellone was quiet for several moments as she looked over the book in silence. While she waited, Quistis opened the next book in front of her to the index in the back. Glancing through it, Quistis came up with nothing. She sighed and put the book in a pile on the floor at her feet for the librarian to re-stack when they were finished.

Beside her, Adler picked up a book and started to look through it.

"It says here that Hyne used the Keys for his own power until he was stopped by...the Guardian Forces?" Ellone said. "That...is an alternative to any story I've ever heard of about Hyne."

"Isn't Hyne the God that gave the Sorceresses their powers in the first place?" Adler asked. "If he's a God, why did the Guardian Forces stop him?"

Quistis shrugged. "We can look through the book more thoroughly later. If it seems useful, put it on the cart and we can read it when we're done sorting."

"Will do," Ellone said. She stood up from her seat and walked to the cart to place it with the other five or so books they had found so far.

Quistis sighed and took her glasses off. This was slow, painful going. There was an ache between her eyes and in her shoulders. She wished Seifer were nearby. He gave excellent backrubs.

The door to the library opened. Quistis looked up to see a small, blond woman enter. She wasn't someone Quistis recognized, though she was by no means familiar with the palace staff. Quistis did note, however, that the woman was armed with a large sword, an unusual sight for a civilian in Esthar.

"Can I help you?" Ellone asked. Quistis caught her frown at the woman. It seemed that Ellone didn't recognize her either.

"No, but I believe I can help you, Sorceress," the woman said.

As she stood, Quistis reached for her whip, and Adler for his gun. The woman held up her empty hand. "I am not here to harm you. Any of you."

Quistis put her hand back and motioned for Alder to do the same.

"What do you mean you can help us?" Ellone asked. She too, had stood up.

"I am a Knight for a Sorceress who knows exactly what you're looking for and how to help," the woman said.

"And she's helping us because why?" Quistis asked.

"Because our mutual enemy is close to succeeding in his goal and its time we put an end to him once and for all." The woman smiled. "Come with me, we'll talk over lunch."

"Where?" Quistis asked.

"Don't worry. I'm not taking any of you out of Esthar. The restaurant is right next to the palace. Nyesta was just feeling tired today." The woman held open the door. "Its no problem if you don't come," she said. "We'll just take ourselves to Trabia the hard way to see if Balamb's Commander will accept our help." The woman smiled. "I'm Lorroth by the way. Pleasure to meet all three of you in person, finally."

_A/N: I loved writing Selphie this chapter. I forgot how much I loved her point of view. She went from being a necessary evil to one of my favorite characters in the last story. _


	11. Chapter 10 Reporting In

Chapter 10- Reporting In

"You did what, Selphie?" Squall asked, blinking at his friend.

"I might have ranted at Xu. Just a little," Selphie said, her voice sheepish.

"More than that," Irvine chimed in. "She was pretty pissed."

Squall pressed the heel of his hand into his head, a heachache already forming. "Xu or Selphie?" he asked.

"Both probably," Zell said, sliding into the one of the empty chairs in the Commander's Office. He looked over at Squall. "I know you said I didn't have to be here for the call but..."

Squall didn't bother to respond. He had slipped out their room early, hoping for some early morning training only to be waylaid by Irvine who had filled him on Selphie's phone call. He had snagged a quick breakfast on Trabia's cafeteria where Zell and Seifer had caught up to him. Seifer had been more than willing to skip out a boring meeting.

Selphie sighed. "I'll call her now and apologize," she said, walking over to her desk. "Hey, how come you have controls from the table and your desk?" she asked Squall. "Its completely not fair."

"Because Laguna likes him best," Zell said.

"You could ask for it to be installed," Squall said, taking the seat across from Zell. He looked at Irvine, studiously ignoring Zell. Things would be easier after this meeting if he didn't dwell on it too much beforehand. "Are you staying for the official report?" Officially, Irvine had never joined SeeD but he usually sat in on major meetings between Trabia and Balamb. Never with Galbadia, though Zell was never present for those either.

"Maybe I will. Laguna likes me too," Selphie said, sticking her tongue out at Zell. She reached over and pressed a couple of buttons on her desk before sitting herself on top of it, legs crossed at the knee.

"How about we get through this mess we're in first, love," Irvine said. "I think Laguna has enough on his plate."

Speaking of which, Squall needed to touch base with the Sorceress. The sooner she Bound Laguna, the sooner they could go after Rinoa. "Has anyone seen Thyriss today?" Squall asked.

Xu appeared in the teleconferencer before anyone could respond. "This had better not be another lecture Miss Tilmitt," she said.

"Commander Kinneas would be the more appropriate title for her," Squall said. "Something I thought you would know, Xu."

Squall glanced at Zell who was having trouble keeping a straight face.

Xu visibly jumped into a salute. "Commander Leonhart. I didn't realize you were there."

"Sure, Squall gets all the respect," Selphie muttered.

Squall didn't know if Xu had heard Selphie or not, but it was best to act if she hadn't. "We should have reported in yesterday but other events took precedence."

"Like falling down exhausted?" Irvine asked. "Or should I mention other energetic activities in the snow?

Squall shrugged.

"Energetic activities?" Zell asked. He blinked.

Squall shook his head. This could all be discussed later. "If we can get to the point," he said. "There are several things that we need to go over." Briefly, Squall summarized the situation to Xu. "Any questions?" he asked once he was finished.

"One," Xu said. "Why aren't you back here in Balamb?" she asked.

Squall noticed both Selphie's and Irvine's subtle intake of breath at the question along with a small increase in tension in the room. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Because I'm the most likely target for Rinoa and as long as she is free, she is a danger to me," Squall said the lines he had mentally rehearsed. He hoped the words did not sound as hollow to Xu as they did to him.

If Xu had doubts, she wasn't sharing them with Squall. She simply nodded.

"We'll get him back safe and sound, Xu," Zell said.

Xu turned to offer Zell a tight smile. "I know you will. Now, what's this about Laguna becoming Thyriss' Knight? Have we forgotten that she tried to kill us not too long ago?"

"But she's on our side this time," Selphie said. "Besides, why shouldn't Laguna become a Knight?"

"Because playing one in a movie and being one isn't the same thing, Selph," Irvine said.

"Its his decision," Squall said. "He agreed."

"It is," Xu said. "But he is your father."

What did that have to do with anything? Laguna had no obligation to him. If he wanted this. Then again, he wasn't willingly doing this. It was protect Ellone and to further Squall's goal. Should Squall stop this? There were other ways to get the Key or they could just give up and head back to Balamb. Or Thyriss could find another Knight...

"Laguna's willing," Zell said after Squall didn't speak.

"I gathered," Xu said. She threw up her hands. "You're the Commander, Squall. I can only voice my objections."

Squall met Xu's eyes and nodded. "You've done that, Xu," he said. "Take care of Balamb until I'm back."

"As if I could do anything less," Xu said. She started to salute but Selphie jumped off the table.

"I apologize for my earlier behavior Lieutenant Adler," she said, bowing formally. "I was furious that no one bothered to tell me that Squall was missing." She sniffed. "Even from a political standpoint, Trabia Garden should have been told."

"Are we supposed to contact Galbadia too?" Zell asked. He shook his head. "Nah, Selph. Its alright if you know but I don't trust Martine."

"He's been helpful in the past," Irvine said. "Though there's really not anything that he can do to help."

Squall nodded. "Inform Galbadia that we are involved in a rather dangerous operation. You don't need to tell the more than that," he said.

Xu nodded. "Yes, Commander," she said. "And, Selphie, I apologize as well for not telling you myself. I should have remembered that you have more than a business relationship with Balamb."

"Because weekly phone calls were not enough of a reminder?" Irvine asked.

Selphie jumped up and squealed, clapping her hand together. "When this is over, Irvy, the girls, and I are coming for a party!" she said.

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The restaurant the Knight led Quistis and Ellone to was almost deserted. Given that it was mid-morning on a work-day, Quistis was not surprised. Adler had left the group to inform Kiros of their location. Quistis had not lost all sense of responsibility.

Lorreth led them to a table at the back of the restaurant where a black-haired woman sat, awaiting them.

"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of ordering for you," the woman said as they took their seat.

"Ordering for us?" Ellone asked. She pulled her coat tighter around her body.

Quistis fingered her whip at her side. It would be useless here, but just having it near made Quistis feel better. "Why?" she asked. She hated to be suspicious but...

The Sorceress smiled. "If I wanted you dead, Lorreth could have taken care of that for me," the woman said.

"Knock off the mysterious crap, Nyes," Lorreth said, taking a seat next to her Sorceress. She looked at Quistis and Ellone. "All Sorceress have one talent that comes more naturally to them than others. Just like some people take to the whip or the gunblade or the staff. Nyesta's is foresight."

Quistis frowned. "So you know everything that happens before it happens?"

Nyesta laughed, a cheery sound in the otherwise quiet restaurant. "Not at all. I've just been waiting for this meeting for a while."

"Why?" Ellone asked.

The smile drained from Nyesta's face. Beside her, Lorroth looked positively feral. "We've been waiting for this for a long time," Nyesta said. "Tell me, what do you know of Hyne?"

Hyne? "He man who gave the Sorceress their powers?" Quistis asked.

Nyesta laughed again. Lorroth rolled her eyes. "Its not that funny, Nyes," she said.

Before Nyesta could compose herself, their brunch arrived; coffee and a rather large scone for Quistis, just what she would have ordered. Ellone received hot chocolate and some toast. Quistis eyes the Sorceress with something akin to amazement. She didn't know she was surprised. Ellone's abilities were equally as amazing when used.

"What my lovely darling of a Sorceress is not saying," Lorroth said, "is that rather than Hyne giving Sorceress' their powers, they gave him his."

"What do you mean?" Ellone asked.

"When I was young," Nyesta said, sipping her cup. "we were ruled by twenty Avatars; cruel beings who controlled humanity and used us as their slaves. In those days, any human could use the same magic as any Sorceress. My sisters and I led the rebellion against them along with Hyne. The rebellion was long and bloody but in the end, we sealed the Avatars and bound them to our will. When we did so, we also bound the magic into ourselves." Nyesta paused with a smile. "I had six sisters. I still have one."

"Seven Sorceresses," Ellone said.

"Just so," Lorroth said. "Now, however, there are only six. Your Rinoa has the power of two."

Quistis pursed her lips. "So, what happened?"

"Hyne betrayed us. After my sister bound him to her side, he locked the rest of us away and ruled by himself through the power of the Avatars." Nyesta's voice held barely contained fury. "Eventually, the youngest of us and her Knight escaped to lead the rebellion against Hyne. Once the rest of us were freed, we threw Hyne down from power and took the power of the Avatars for ourselves. We further subdivided the Avatar's powers into two."

"The beings you know as Guardian Forces and the Keys," Lorroth supplied. "We scattered them throughout the world. Hyne escaped with Saey, our Nyes' eldest sister and his Sorceress."

"How have you survived?" Ellone asked. "Immortality isn't part of being a Sorceress."

Nyesta smiled. "There are ways. Ways which I will not teach you," she said. She took another sip of her tea. Quistis noted that her hand was shaking. "Now, Hyne has reappeared in the world and it attempting to regain the Keys to regain his lost power."

"What will he do with them?" Quistis asked.

"You rather conveniently put all the Guardian Forces in one location for him to steal," Lorroth said. "I'd imagine that's one of his next moves, after gathering the Keys."

Quistis stood up. "Then we need to tell Xu to secure the database," she said.

"Unless Rinoa did it while she was in Balamb," Ellone said.

Quistis turned to her with a frown. "I'll tell Xu to check."

"What happens if he gets the Keys and the Guardian Forces?" Ellone asked to Nyesta.

"He'll use them to re-awaken the Avatars. He hopes that he will be able to use their power to regain what he lost but they will be too much for him. They will destroy him and we will be left at their mercy once again."

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"So," Zell asked as he followed Squall out of Selphie's office. "What activities in the snow?"

Squall didn't look behind him nor respond.

Zell sighed and kept on walking. "So, where are we headed?" he asked Squall's back. He had a suspicion but he wanted confirmation. After all, there was really only thing Squall could do now besides wait.

Squall kept walking, not that Zell was surprised. They passed through the hallways of Trabia and climbed the stairs to Trabia's second story. Squall beelined for the room that Thryiss has claimed as a workroom while they were there.

Without knocking, Squall entered the room. Zell followed. Thyriss was sitting in the center of the room. Laguna was sitting near here. They seemed to be rather deep in conversation.

"Squall!" Laguna said, jumping up. "Glad to see you're awake."

"When can you complete the Bonding?" Squall asked Thryiss.

Thyriss blinked at him. "It will be a while," she said.

Laguna frowned at Zell who shrugged.

"What's the holdup?" Squall asked.

"It will take some time to prepare the spell and I've run into some... difficulties."

"What sort of difficulties?" Squall turned to frown at Laguna. "You haven't changed your mind?"

Laguna shook his head with a frown.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Squall," Zell said. "Chill out, man. You've been on edge since you woke up this morning."

Squall frowned at Zell. Zell leaned up against the teacher's desk in the front of the room, the one piece of furniture that Thyriss had not moved to the side. Most likely because of its weight.

"I could bore you with the details of explaining," Thyriss said, "but I have the feeling you rather I get back to work preparing." Her voice was dry. "Or am I wrong?"

Squall narrowed his eyes at Thyriss. "Fine." He turned on his heel and left the room.

"He is on edge," Laguna said.

Zell shrugged. "I'll see if I can talk him out of it," he said. He grinned. "Keep taking your time, though."

Laguna and Thyriss exchanged a conspiratorial glance that confirmed Zell's suspicion as he left the room after Squall.

He caught up with his lover at the top of the stairs. "Slow down, baby. I can't keep up with you." Truthfully, he was getting a little tired of scurrying after Squall. This was ending today or he and Squall were going to have some serious words. Traumatized or not, Zell was not made for chasing after people while they ignored him.

Squall waited at the top of the stairs. He leaned against the wall and looked at Zell. "What?" he asked.

"What? Really? You've been a mood ever since you woke up this morning and all you can is 'what'?" Zell stopped next to him. "Talk to me, at least."

"About what?"

Damn, Squall was going to be difficult today. Fine, Zell could handle difficult. "Did I do something to upset you?" he asked. Yes or no answers it was.

Squall shook his head.

"Are you mad at Selphie for her early call to Xu?" Zell knew that guess was off and he wasn't surprised by another negative shake from Squall. "Fine, are you mad at yourself for not remembering to call Xu earlier?"

That one earned a shrug. Zell wasn't surprised. Not a definitive yes, but progress. "Okay, not entirely. What else is it?"

"I'm not mad," Squall said. He narrowed his eyes at Zell and Zell could see his thoughts going a mile a minute. He also had the sick feeling he wasn't going to like Squall's next statement. "You're going back to Balamb."

Fuck no. Zell said as much as the bottom dropped out of his stomach. What hell was Squall thinking?

"Everyone keeps reminding how safe Balamb is. So, you're going," Squall said, implacable in the face of Zell's cursing.

"That's bullshit," Zell said. "Aren't you using how unsafe Balamb is as your excuse for not being there?" he asked.

Squall shrugged. "This is different."

"I'm not even in danger!"

Squall pushed himself off the wall and walked past Zell. Zell followed. "We are not done with this conversation, Leonhart!" he yelled after the man.

Squall didn't go far, just to an empty classroom on the other side of the hallway from the doors. Zell followed him in. Of course Squall would have an eye to their respective positions in Garden. He wouldn't want officially reprimand Zell for insubordination. Squall's careful calculation made Zell even more furious.

Once the door closed behind Zell, Zell found himself pressed against the wall, Squall's lips attempting to devour him. Zell responded in spite of himself.

After several long moments, Squall started to pull away.

"Like I said, we're not done with this, Squall," Zell said, more calmly than before. He stopped Squall from pulling away completely by keeping firm hold of his hips. "I'm not going to Balamb." Not when he was like this. Ice cold one moment and burning hot the next. No way in hell was Zell leaving him.

"Who do you think Rinoa will target if she can't get to me directly?" Squall asked, his blue eyes meeting Zell's.

"Me, of course. Its the logical move," Zell conceded the point. Squall might have a legitimate concern for his safety but Zell could turn that right against him. "But what if she targets me at Balamb. You gonna be okay knowing you sent me there?"

Squall looked a little startled by Zell's comment. He pulled back slightly and Zell let him go. "I-I didn't think of that," he admitted.

The admission chilled Zell to the bone; it was so un-Squall like. "Then it's settled, I'm not leaving." Zell felt his chest loosen and he could breathe a little easier.

When Squall didn't respond right away, Zell's tension came right back.

"You should still go," Squall said.

"Why this time?" Zell asked. He almost dreaded this answer. The safety argument had been easy to counter but a second one? Had Squall been up all night thinking of ways to get rid of him?

Squall dropped his gaze to the floor. Whatever Squall was about to say was the real reason for his decision to try and send Zell to Balamb. The safety thing had just been an excuse. Perhaps that was why Zell had countered it so easily. "You've run over half the world looking for me," Squall said. "And exhausted yourself in the process. I've been too self-absorbed to... to be there for you when you … you needed someone to talk to."

Zell blinked. Where the _hell_ had this come from? If Selphie had said one freaking _word_ about Zell's crying in her arms, he would fucking kill her.

"So, you're going back to Balamb," Squall finished.

Zell took a deep breath and tried to still the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Squall needed tact right now. Never Zell's strong point but hell, he could work with it. Patience was a virtue Zell had perfected with Squall. "How will sending me to Balamb fix that?" he asked softly. He took a step towards Squall, touched his chin gently and forced Squall to at least look at him.

"You will have time to rest..." Squall said, trailing off in the middle of his sentence. He swallowed before continuing. "You need a break from this. I- I can't stop. I need to find Rinoa and put an end to this stupidity, but you can go back to Balamb and... and rest." Squall paused for a moment. "Or, I guess you could stay here in Trabia with Selphie if you still need someone to...to talk to."

Fuck. Selphie did say something to him. That stupid girl!

Zell unclenched the hand not holding Squall in place. He pressed his forehead against Squall's. "Sending me away won't stop me from worrying, love," he told Squall. "And I don't need to talk to Selphie. Once night of venting was enough. I'd rather be near you, to help you anyway I can."

Squall nodded against Zell and Zell knew he had won. For now.

_A/N: Any typos in this chapter are a result of my usual desire to post quickly and watching Wicked while writing. Sorry for the info. dump in the middle of the chapter. Not sure how else to give out information quickly (any suggestions?)_.


	12. Chapter 11- The Bonding

Chapter 11- The Bonding

The cave was the sort of bitter cold that settled in Rinoa's bones and would not leave no matter how close she huddled against the fire. Along with the cold came the aching loneliness of having no one to talk to.

Rinoa leaned back against the cold stone rock, ignoring the pain from her barely healed wounds. With a start, she reached down and plucked a book out of her bag. She could put this time to good use and study as her teacher had suggested. That was why she was here alone. So she could fix the mistakes she had made. To do that, she would need to study more.

From her spot inside the cave, Rinoa could just make out the setting sun in the distance. What in the world was taking Squall so long to come for the Key? He had to know where it was by now. Selphie had found the Guardian Force here after all. Perhaps he hadn't thought of asking Selphie? But that made little sense for Squall.

The soft sound of footsteps crunching along gravel called Rinoa's attention. She put the book down in her lap and sat up. Perhaps Squall had come after all.

"Looks like you're having fun, here all by yourself," a high, feminine voice said. Etris' brown haired-head came into view followed closely by Tain. They walked up the hill towards Rinoa.

"What are you doing here?" Rinoa asked, relaxing back into her spot. It wasn't Squall after all. He probably wouldn't show up now that it was sunset. It had been silly of her to hope otherwise.

"He sent us," Tain said. "To fix it if you fail again."

"I won't fail again," Rinoa snapped. She jerked upright again. Her back protested a little. "Squall _will_ help me get the Key."

Etris giggled. "No he won't. We're collecting it now. That way Tain can use it against him. C'mon!" She walked past Rinoa and deeper into the cave.

Rinoa scowled. "Then what am I doing here?" she asked. She put her book back in its bag and slowly stood up from her seat. Her limbs had stiffened while she waited.

"Catching your Knight?" Etris asked. She turned to watch Rinoa as she walked.

"Why should we leave the Key for him and the other Sorceress to pick up if you fail?" Tain asked. He moved past Rinoa without a backwards glance at her. "He wants the Key's after all. You're just a side-project."

That wasn't true. Rinoa started to follow after the siblings. Her mentor did care about her. She was special. She would be the Sorceress he used. She would be useful. What did it matter if she got Squall back or not? As long as her teacher gathered the Keys, that was what was important. Rinoa nodded to herself as she descended the small path to the back of the cave. Whatever the Sayptor siblings thought, Rinoa was the important one. Not them.

Rinoa pursed her lips. But she was special because she had the power of two Sorceresses. According to what she had learned, there were only five other Sorceresses. The one her teacher held, Ellone, Thyriss, Etris, and...well, Rinoa didn't know who the last one was but if she had the power of the other four then she could find the last one.

Or Squall could. He was good at finding things.

The siblings stopped at the base of a statue much like the ones Rinoa had seen before. They joined hands. A soft purple glow appeared around their hands and shot towards the statute. It was a fascinating sight that Rinoa had not had the opportunity to witness before. A piece of the statue broke off and flew to Tain's hand. Tain gripped it and smiled.

"One less," he said.

Etris frowned. "But is it the one we need?" she asked.

Tain shrugged. "One way to find out." He started walking away from the girls. "Let's go outside and see what it does."

"It isn't the one you need," Rinoa said. "This is Quezacotl. You want the one for healing."

Tain turned to frown at Rinoa. "Which one is that?" he asked.

Etris gave Rinoa a wide-eyed stare. "You know which Key we need?"

Rinoa nodded, a small burst of pride rising in her chest. It felt good to know information the other two did not have. It meant she was more important to him than the others. "Its in my book," she said. "I looked it up for you. You need Alexander's Key."

The siblings looked at each other, dumbstruck. Rinoa enjoyed the moment.

"I know where it is, too," Rinoa said lightly.

"Does He know?" Etris asked.

Rinoa nodded and Tain cursed.

"Damn him!" Etris said. "I knew he wasn't telling us everything."

"Where is it?" Tain asked.

"He has it. Has had it for a while," Rinoa said. She felt a smile spread through her. "You won't have time to get it though."

"What do you mean?" Etris said. "We'll go right now and beg him to give it to us."

"What do you mean, beg?" Tain asked. "We've been hunting over the entire world for the past five years looking for something that he knew where it was the entire time. We'll go demand it!"

Etris shook her head, her brown hair flying. "No no no no, we can't demand anything," she said. "He'll kill us. We'll ask nicely and agree to continue looking for the others. He's gotta be almost done by now anyway."

"Bullshit," Tain said. "I won't agree to anything that...that lying cheat offers."

"You don't know what you're doing, Tain," Etris said.

"You're a bloody Sorceress, Et," Tain said. "He's just a Knight. If that even. I have four of the Keys and you have magic. We can take him."

Rinoa laughed to herself as the siblings argued. She could practically feel their Bond weakening. A weakened Bond meant that the Keys would be that much less effective.

"Its all irrelevant," Rinoa said. She called up a spell of ice and flung it at Tain, a trick she borrowed from Edea. The spell took Tain through the throat before either he or Etris could react. Blood dribbled down from the wound as the man fell.

Etris screamed, a high pitched wail that echoed off the walls of the cave before collapsing to her knees at the shock of her Knight's death. Rinoa rolled her eyes and threw another spell at the Sorceress. A thousand sharp knives cut Etris with millions of tiny cuts.

Rinoa walked towards the Sorceress and knelt beside her. "Give me your power, Etris," she whispered. As the woman fell unconscious, Rinoa felt her power seep into her, filling her with a sort of energy and elation that Rinoa had never felt before.

Rinoa smiled. If the power of two Sorceresses made her special, what would the power of three Sorceresses do?

Or four? It wouldn't be hard for Rinoa to go to Esthar and find Ellone. She might even be there and back before Squall showed up to collect Quezacotl's Key. And with four Sorceresses worth of power, Squall would have to come back to her.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Quistis cursed to herself as she hit the 'off' button of Esthar's teleconferencer.

"The Guardian Forces are gone from the database, aren't they?" Ellone asked, coming into the room. Nyesta and Lorroth followed her.

Quistis glared at the wall behind them. "Of course they are. And none of us thought to check that with Squall missing from Balamb." She shook her head. "Not like we knew they'd be important. Anyone who Junctioned all of them would be practically insane."

"Insanely powerful," Lorroth said, slipping into one of the empty chairs in the large room. "The should have been secured better."

Quistis fought the urge to snarl at the woman. "If we had known they were vital to a take over the world plot, they would have been," she said. "But what a shame no one thought to tell us that."

"So you regularly leave beings of massive amounts of power just laying around?" Lorroth snapped back.

"Ladies, please," Ellone said. "This isn't helping."

"Ellone is right," Nyesta said. "I think the next step is to contact your Commander and fill him in with what we know."

Quistis kept her glare fixated on Lorroth as she dialed Trabia's number from memory. She had called often enough from Balamb. Lorroth sat back in her chair and ignored Quistis.

Beside her, Ellone sighed.

"Hey, Sis, what can we do for you?" Irvine's signature drawl came on over the teleconferencer, followed by his face. "Oh, Quisty, its you."

"Yes, its me," Quistis snapped. She didn't have time to Irvine's foolishness right now. "Where's Squall?"

Irvine blinked.

"What Quistis means," Ellone said, "is that we have new information that we need to relay to Squall. Its urgent." She gave Quistis one of her big sister looks.

"Right. I'll call him up then," Irvine said. "You sure must be missing Seifer something fierce to be snapping at me like that, Quisty," Irvine said.

"Just get Squall," Quistis said. "Please."

It wasn't long before Squall, Thyriss, and Laguna appeared in the teleconferencer. Once there, Quistis quickly introduced Nyesta and Lorroth. The Sorceress and her Knight filled in the group on what they had told Quistis and Ellone in the restaurant. When they were finished, Quistis told them that Balamb was, in fact, missing the Guardian Forces.

Squall cursed. "I remember retrieving them for her, now," he said. Quistis couldn't tell for sure given the poor quality of the screen, but she thought he looked pale. "I should have remembered."

"Not your fault," Laguna said, placing a hand on Squall's shoulder.

Squall quickly shrugged it off. He turned his attention to Nyesta. "If he has the GFs and the majority of the Key's, what then?"

"Then he places them in the pillar he is using to hold my sister in stasis and uses my sister's life force to re-join the Avatars and the Keys," Nyesta said.

"What I don't understand is why now," Thyriss said. "From your account, he's had centuries. How hard can it be to find forty objects?"

Lorrorth smiled. "Harder when you have a team working against you that already knows where they are," she said. "And even harder when you've spent a great deal of those years hiding from the two people hunting you."

"So why did you fail this time?" Squall asked.

Lorroth narrowed her eyes at the Commander. "We didn't," she said. "We just need a little help."

"Easy, Lor," Nyesta said. "In the past, we have used help to stop him. This is the closest he's come though. Its part of my plan."

"Your plan?" Laguna asked. "What, like get him close enough to get what he wants and kill him...oh...good plan."

Nyesta smiled. "I thought so," she said.

"So, what's the next step?" Squall asked, getting the group back on track.

"We go after the Key here in Trabia and find the others," Thryiss said.

Squall frowned. "Don't you need to finish the Bonding spell?" he asked.

"Its done," Thyriss said. "We're ready to go after this meeting."

Quistis had the feeling from Squall's reaction that he hadn't been expecting that. She didn't want to question it too closely. She had other things to worry about. "I can take the Valhalla with Nyesta and Lorroth and meet the rest of you in Trabia," she said.

"Good idea," Squall said. "By the time we get back from the cave, we can decide where to go."

"After the cave, there are three Keys left," Nyesta said. "Technically, it doesn't matter which of us get them. We'll all meet at Lye'Nala."

"Lye'Nala?" Ellone asked.

"She means the ancient library of Lye'Nala," Lorroth said. "But its all that's left of the Zebalga clan captial city."

Squall stood up. "If we have a plan, let's get going then," he said. "It sounds like we can't waste more time."

Quistis nodded as Squall switched off the teleconferencer from his end. She stood up. "Coming with us, Ellone?" she asked.

Ellone shook her head. "I think I'll stay out of this one. Uncle Laguna would be quite upset with me if I put myself in danger."

"Let's go then," Lorroth said, standing up from her own seat and starting towards the door. Quistis followed after her, noting a strange, forced smile on Nyesta's face as she did so.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Thyriss pushed herself to her feet and held out her hand to Laguna. Laguna took it and stood up before dropping her hand. "This changed a lot," she said. "We'll be ready to go by morning."

Squall still eyed her suspiciously, but Thyriss ignored it.

The door to the office opened. Selphie walked in followed by her daughter and Zell, who had the baby. "Did I miss something?" she asked, her green eyes wide.

"Plenty," Squall said. "Where did Irvine go?"

"Oh, he came to tell me that Quisty called and you guys were in a meeting," she said. "But I promised Edea I'd watch her class today." She smiled at her daughter.

The little girl hid behind her mother when she noticed everyone was looking at her.

"So, what's up?" Zell asked.

Squall sat back down. "Take a seat, I'll fill you in." He nodded towards Thyriss and Laguna. "Be sure you're ready by tomorrow."

Thyriss nodded and left the room with Laguna. "Is he always that cold?" she asked.

Laguna shrugged. "He's have a difficult time of everything, I think," he said. "But yeah, usually."

Thyriss shook her head. She climbed the stairs to her 'workroom'. The actual Bonding Spell could be done anywhere. But still, her workroom was familiar territory by now. She hoped that the familiarity of the room would quiet the butterflies in her stomach.

"So, what does this entail?" Laguna asked as they stepped into the room. The door closed behind him.

Nope, the room did nothing to make her more comfortable. She hadn't been this nervous with Ormis. Then again, she had known Ormis for much longer and their relationship had already been established.

"Not much," Thyriss said. She went to her spot in the middle of the room and sat down. She motioned for Laguna to join her. "Ready?" she asked as he did so.

Laguna nodded. "Are you as nervous as I am?" he asked. "I don't recall being this nervous even when I jumped from the cliffside." He landed heavily on the ground as he collapsed next to her.

In spite of her nervousness, or maybe because of it, Thyriss laughed. "More, I think," she said. She hoped her voice didn't shake as much as she thought it did. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an effort to compose herself. It barely worked. She grabbed hold of her magic and held it tentatively while she prepared the spell in her mind.

"Do I need to do anything?" Laguna asked as he shifted next to her.

"Just let me concentrate," Thyriss said. She closed her eyes to block out Laguna's fidgeting and recalled the spell. Like a held breath, she waited to cast the spell. Opening her eyes, she said, "Look at me, into my eyes."

Laguna's green eyes met hers and Thyriss released the Spell. She felt it reach stretch out from her to Laguna and the slow almost sensual pleasure of connection form between her and Laguna. With a sigh, Thyriss felt the spell settle into place. She probed the bit of her mind where Laguna was. It felt...nice to have something, someone there again.

Laguna sighed. "That's all?" he asked. "That wasn't anything like the torture Squall looks like he went through."

Thryiss resisted the urge to slam her hand into her forehead. "That's because you're a willing participant," she said. Hyne help her, she had apparently Bonded an idiot.

_A/N: Apologies for short chapter. I'd say that I expect to hear complaining from reviews, but that would imply I was getting any. ^_^_


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